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Fun, fun, fun In the mud, mud, mud! Wn the World Tour and upgrade y(

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• Dual Shock* Analog Controller support- Vibration so real, you risk whiplash!

• World Tour mode- Blow away your competition in any of 6 different truck classes to open
hidden tracks and buy new vehicles and/or upgrades.

■ 12 gnarly tracks in 6 real world locations- Go muddoggin', spray rooster tails, blow snow,
chum up sand and surf- or bash, crash and smash your opponents into boulders, trees,
cliffs or mud pits.

. ■ Choose from 20 killer vehicles!- Including all your favorite off-road behemoths-
Dodge' Ham, Ford Explorer”; leep. Wrangler, Ford F-tSD', Chenowth (FAV),

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*Minus the faeries, spells, and other crap.

FALLOUT 2: A f?))ST-NUCLEAR ROLE PLAYING GAME ©1998 Interplay Produclions. All rights reserved- Fallout, Interplay, the
Interplay logo, Black Isle Studios, the Black Isle Studios logo, and “By Gamers, For Gamers." are trademarks of Interplay Productions.
All rights reserved. Windows®95 and Windows®96 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. All other
trademarks ahd copyrights are properties of their respective owners.

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For more information call l-SOO-UfTERPLAY
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CAMIMC

PREVIEWS

The #1 PC Game Magazine ^VV^ORLD

FEATURES

42 pages of the 100 best gaming
bets covering every genre, plus hard-
ware and stocking stuffers. Rudolph
would get a hernia if he had to bring
ail this to you in one night.

New to gaming? See our Buying Guide on pg. 242

Action 108 Racing 180

Adventure 120 Strategy 190

Role-Playing Games 126 Wargames 202

Classics/Puzzles 136 Hardware 214

Simulations 144 Kid's Stuff 224

Space Simulations 160 Stocking Stuffers 228

Sports 166 Product Index 104

MechWarrior 3

It's the most powerful MECH game yet, and once
again, CGIV takes you there for the exclusive
first look. The game was developed by military
contractors, and they seem as serious about
MECH 3 as they were about preparing the Army
for the Gulf War. The result is a MECHWARRIOR
game that blows away everything that's come
before it.

Behemoth 3D Card Roundup

We test and rate 13 of the hottest new 3D graphics cards.

Half-Life

Brains, beauty, and brawn could make it

the best single-player shooter yet .... 60

Myth II: Soulblighter

Bungle builds on its success by
adding animation, magic, and
flaming projectiles 68

Railroad Tycoon II

Reinventing a classic, this time

sans Sid 72

Enemy Infestation

A bug hunt hellbent on inheriting
X-COM's mantle 76

NBA Live

who needs real
NBA players when
you've got NBA
LIVE 99? .... 81

Fighter
Squadron

Real-world physics
rule in this
incredible World
War II sim , , , 85

SimCity 3000

The original city
builder gets a
new look, and
delivers a deeper
experience . . 88

Speed Busters

Take a spin in a NEED FOR SPEED-style racer
with a gigantic twist 90

REVIEWS

HARDWARE

Hardware News

Intel's new processor and graphics chips •
3Dfx's next 2D/3D AGP chip: Rampage •

Techwatch 302

Loyd Case

3D Sucks 306

Killer Gaming Rigs 311

Sound Blaster Live 316

Interlink Deskstick 321

Quickshot Gen-X 700 321

Slave Zero

Requiem

Euro Splash Whirl

Holiday Game Glut

Kenwood Multibeam CD-ROM drive ... 325
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite 326

Logitech Wingman Force Joystick 327

GAMER'S EDGE

Might and Magic VI

Scorpia reaches into her bag of tricks for some
M&M treats 426

People's General

Knowing modern warfare tactics will help
ensure your victory 430

Panzer Commander

Techniques for staying alive and taking out
targets 434

Gamer's Edge Tips

Tips for COMMANDOS, MECHCOMMANDER,
X-COM INTERCEPTOR, TRIBAL RAGE,

NAM, GET MEDIEVAL, and

MIGHT & MAGIC VI 438

DEPARTMENTS

Johnny Wilson Do editors pander to their industry friends? 23

Denny Atkin Building the ultimate flight sim PC from scratch 26

Terry Coleman Debunking popular myths about PC games 29

Letters Email missives and submissives 31

On the Web Re ommended reading on GameSpot and CGW Online 37

On the CG-ROM Demos, Tools, and Goodies on CD 40

Reviews Introduction 337

Reviews Index Three Months of Game Ratings 341

Top 100 Readers Rate the Top Games 442

Hall of Fame The Greatest Games of All Time 445

Greenspeak Complalrr, complain, complain 446

Rainbow Six 342

Urban Assault 346

Deathtrap Dungeon 351

Stratosphere 352

Gex: Enter the Gecko 356

Revenge of

Arcade Golden Edition 356

Simulations/Si

Independence War 358

F22 Total Air War 361

iF/A-18E Carrier Strike Fighter 364

Israeli Air Force 370

Fighter Ace 1.5 373

Ares Rising 376

Spearhead 378

Warbirds2.01 382

Sports- . ^

NFLGameday99 386

Motocross Madness 388

Redline Racer 394

Tiger Woods 99 398

Golden Tee Golf 404

Commandos:

Behind Enemy Lines 406

Dune 2000 408

Warlords III: Darklord Rising 417

People's General 418

Emergency: Fighters for Life 420

TA; Battle Tactics 420

Legal Crime 420

Puzzle/Classics

Notyet 425

Looney Tunes Cosmic

Capers Animated Jigsaws 425

Play This Play That 425

REBUILT FROM THE BArTlEGROUND UP.

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forever. Upon exploring each pod, you experience its prisoners' tragic lives through their
dreams, ghosts and visions.The experience will have you quickly confusing the surreal
with the real and sacrificing your own dream time for Morpheus time.

‘Morpheus Is a gorgeous looking game. Players will
have more freedom to explore than that offered
by slideshow-style games such as Riven.”

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01998 Westwood Studios, Inc. Lands of Lore is a
registered trademark and Westwood Studios Is a
trademark of Westwood Studios, Inc. 3Dfx and the
3Dfx logo are registered trademarks of 3Dfx
Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.

Beyond the portal lies
the most powerful
Lands of Lore*

Be a Warrior, Wizard, Cleric or Thief
or combine two or more professions to
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The Journal automatically chronicles
your quest by identifying spells,
describing creatures encountered,
cataloguing magical recipes, showing skill
levels and automapping your location.

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With Friends Like Us...

Do Editors Pander to Their Friends and Skewer Their Enemies?

A newspaper reporter who
worked the Washington,
D.C. beat once lectured
me about fraternizing
with the industry. He
complained that you
couldn't attend cocktail
parties with the people
you cover on one night and write a
critical article about them the next
day. I protested that his argument
was based upon his work experi-
ence, in which people were often
the issue, and suggested that there
was a tremendous difference when
product is the issue. I said that
good people can and do make bad
product. I insisted that I could like
people and not like their products. I
observed that I had been to numer-
ous industry parties or events
where games were touted to which
we later gave bad reviews. The
product is what counts.

Last year, I played golf with a
CEO who is well-known in this
industry. I discovered that he had
thought for years that I didn't really
like him. He thought his products
had gotten negative reviews
because I didn’t like him. Strangely
enough, I do like the guy and that
never factored into the reviews.
Why? Because our duty is to you,
the readers, not to the people we
like in the industry.

Recently, I was out with the
co-founder of one of the great

developers in the industry. He
expressed fear that my anger
with one of his team members
(who had unabashedly lied to
me) was going to hurt them in
coverage of an upcoming game
(a potential mega-hit). With sur-
prise, I reminded him of how long

we had been friends (recognizing
that we both have equivalent dirt
on each other) and of how many
good, bad, and mixed reviews his
company had gotten over the
years. Every time, I pointed out,
we reviewed the product and not
him or his team.

Yet, my biggest shock in this
area was reading an online posting
from a major talent in game design
who dismissed our criticism of his
product as tabloid-style
sensationalism from a
magazine that hasn't
likedhm or his com-
pany for a long time.

During the calendar
years of this alleged
vendetta, his company
won a disproportionate
amount of Game of the
Year awards (using an
award:title ratio) and
his company got more
CCkV covers than any
other company.

I'm beginning to think that I'm
perceived as a Don Corleone figure
by some of these industry leaders.
"All I wanted was to be your friend,
but because you have shown me
such disrespect I must cause your
products to sleep with the fishes."
That just doesn't make sense.

If we, as editors, target specific
companies and individuals and
review their products based on
something other than the prod-
ucts, our credibility will fail. You
would be able to tell if we sud-
denly had a vendetta against
one company or another. You
would see a pattern where all
games by that company were
treated unfairly.

Here is the editorial process we
go through In order to see that
each product, no matter what we
think of the people at a given
company, is treated fairly. First, we
seek to match the game and the
reviewer. There is no point having
a person review a soccer game if
he hates soccer. Likewise, we
wouldn’t use a person who
doesn't know anything about the
sport. There must be both interest
and expertise in the subject mat-
ter and style of the game.

Second, we expect the review-
er to play the entire game. There
is no way to adequately judge the
play balance, pacing, and fatigue/
frustration factor in a game other
than to play it. Sneak previews
aren't based on play-balanced,
paced, and finished code, so we
don't require the previewers to
finish the game. However, it is
vital for reviewers to do so.

Third, a section editor (the
editor with expertise within a given

genre) edits the review. This edit is
not merely to fix grammatical
errors, but to ask questions of the
article. "Is the idiosyncrasy a design
flaw or a feature? Does the review-
er have a blind spot? Is this criti-
cism fair in light of the design and
state of technology? Is this merely
a concern to the reviewer or is it
relevant for most of the audience?"
Sometimes, this requires conversa-
tions with the reviewer to hash out
all of the details. Sometimes,
changing the copy to reflect a more
precise wording is necessary.

Fourth, all of the editors who
have played any of the game for-
mally consider the recommended
rating from the reviewer. The main

points of the reviewer's criticisms
are considered and debated
among the editorial staff before
the final rating is set and the
review is published. Sometimes,
two or more editors will go back
to play the game to settle a given
point. The rating is not decided
until a consensus is reached.

This philosophy protects you
from the possible prejudice of one
reviewer, one editor, or one editor-
in-chief. The process reduces the
probability of one person getting
so angry at one program, one
company, or one person in that
company that it transforms a
review into a hit piece. Our goal
at Computer Gaming World has
always been to provide the most
balanced coverage possible. In
faa. If someone asked us to have
a vendetta against a company or
individual, we'd have to answer a
la Don Corleone, "That I cannot
dol You asked for justice. This isn't
justice!"

Hie way some industry leaders talk,
you'd think I had the power to make
tiieir games sleep with the fishes.

Jilou would be able to tell if we
had a vendetta against a companf

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Killer Flight-Sim Rig

Building the Ultimate Flight-Sim PC From Scratch

I f your PC runs a Pentium 1 66
or slower, you're probably
frustrated by the system
requirements of the latest
round of flight sims. Sure, 3D
clouds, 1024x768 resolution,
and detailed virtual cockpits
are wonderful, but not when
they run like a slide show on your
formerly hot computer.

Playing beta versions of titles
like WWII FIGHTERS and FALCON 4,0
told me that the old PI 66 wasn't
going to cut it anymore. Oh, the
games would run, but not in all
their glory. It was time to build a
PC that could run the next genera-
tion of sims at full bore.

Top-of-the-line gaming PCs can
now be put together for less than
S1,500. 1 could have purchased an
off-the-shelf system for about the
same cost, but by building it myself
I was able to make sure that my rig
would have the best mix of perfor-
mance and sim compatibility.

Follow me now as I encroach a
bit on the territory of CGW/Tech
Lords Dave Salvator and Loyd
Case and put together an ulti-
mate gaming machine — one
that's tuned specifically for flight
sims. Once you have the parts,
building a PC requires only a
Phillips head screwdriver and a
good dose of patience. Still, if
you've never done this kind of
thing, you should find a techie
friend to help you get started
The central part of any PC is the
motherboard, which holds the
processor, memory, and expansion
cards. I chose Abit's new BH6
motherboard for a number of rea-
sons. It sports five PCI slots In addi-
tion to two ISA slots and one AGP
slot, so it gives me room for expan-
sion. Plus, Abit's designs do away
with those annoying jumpers,
allowing you to adjust processor
speed and other parameters from
the setup menu. This could be
important to daredevil users who
want to overclock their systems.

For the processor chip, I chose
the boxed Intel Pentium 11/400. You
can find bare OEM processors for
$30 to $1 00 less, but they gener-
ally come with a short, dealer-only
warranty — often two weeks or
less. The extra $30 is worth the
peace of mind you gel with a
three-year manufacturer warranty.

Because the 400MHz processor
runs on a lOOMHz system bus, I
made sure to purchase memory
rated for that speed — a single
128MB PCI 00 DIMM. I wouldn't
suggest anything less than 64MB,
especially if you're going to run
Windows 98.

is probably enough for all but the
most demanding sim fans.

For 2D video, I wanted a card
with decent 3D capabilities as
well for use in sims like FLIGHT
SIM 98, which can take advantage
of 3D in a window (the one capa-
bility 3Dfx cards lack), I chose the
ATI All-in-Wonder Pro for its TV
and video-capture capabilities. If
you are on a budget, the ATI
XPert98 offers similar capabilities
without the TV tuner.

For sound, I decided to stick
with my vintage Sound Blaster 1 6
card because of compatibility con-
cerns. The new PCI-based 3D
audio cards sound dramatically
better, but many have compati-
bility problems with various game
controllers and real-mode DOS
games. If you want a PCI solution,
the Turtle Beach Montego offers
superb sound and a good level of
DOS compatibility — although a
few users have reported conflicts
with some digital controllers. If
pure sound quality is king in your

book, go for the Diamond Monster
Sound MX200,

For storage, I chose a Toshiba
IDE DVD-ROM drive. It cost little
more than a standard CD-ROM
drive and also offered the ability to
watch DVD films using ATI's soft-
ware player. On the hard-drive
front, the Maxtor DiamondMax
1 1 .5GB drive offered both speed
and plenty of storage. Going with a
SCSI setup would have offered
even better performance, but the
high cost of SCSI hard drives out-
weighed the performance boost.

I added a floppy drive, a generic
ATX case, and a Microsoft Natural
Keyboard Elite and Intellimouse.
finally, I plugged in my CH Force
FX, Pro Throttle, and Pro Pedals,
and installed Windows 98. 1 fired
up the rig, loaded the beta version
of WWII FIGHTERS, and the game
ran silky smooth at 1024x768,
Mission accomplished! Now I had
a rig that would run the hottest
games at full speed— at least for
the next year or so. . . .

It's time to build a PC that can run the
next generation of sims at full bore.

After the processor, the most
important component for flight
sim performance is the 3D video
card. Because I was shooting for
both ultimate performance as
well as maximum game compati-
bility, I chose a pair of Canopus
Pure 3D II Voodoo^ cards.

Although there are now other
chips that can match the speed of
the 3Dfx Voodoo^, only the 3Dfx
cards support all three major 3D
standards: Direct3D, OpenGL, and
Glide. By adding the second card,
you get a slight speed boost as
well as access to a maximum
z-buffered resolution of 1024x768
(versus 800x600 with a single
card). Note that a single Voodoo^

PUSHING IT TO THE LIMIT— AND BEYOND

It used to be that the best
pricc/performance ratio came from
buying the second-fastest Intel
processor. That's what I chose to
do, selecting a Pentium 11/400
rather than the only marginally
faster 450. But if you're adventur-
ous, you can put together a very
speedy system for hundreds less by
purchasing a 266MHz Intel Celeron
chip and installing it on a board
like the BH6, which allows you to
overclock this under 5100 chip to
400 or even 448MHz. A 400MHz
Celeron will run the typical PC
game at about the same speed as
a 300MHz Pentium II. What's the

downside? When you overclock a
chip, you can shorten its life,
potentially damage system compo-
nents, and sometimes end up with
an unstable system. Some chips
may not work at all at 400MHz.
Because of this, CGW's official
stance is that we don't recommend
overctocking. But if you're on a
tight budget and want to live on
the edge, the 266MHz Celeron
paired with a board like the BH6
may be the ticket to cheap speed.
For more information on overclock-
ing, check out www.sysopt.com/
overc.htm! and jeffshardware.
computerhcaven.nei.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEiVIB£R 1 998

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1.44MB 3.5‘' Floppy Drive
Canopus SPECTRA 2500 TNT 16MB
6.4GB Ultra-ATA Hard-Drive
SoundBlaster UVE! 3D Sound
Cambridge 4-Point Surround
Speaker/Subwoofer System
Toshiba 32X CD-ROM Player
ATX Full-Tower Case 300 Watt PS
KoolMaxx Video Cooling System
104-Enhanced Keyboard
Microsoft Intellimouse PS/2
US Robotics 56KV.90 Fax/Modem
Windows '98 Operating System
Free Installation & Configuration
of Favorite Games/Latest Drivers

Intel 440BX Motherboard 512K Cache
Expandable to 1GB SDRAM
PC Power Cooling K-1 CPU Fan
128MB SDRAM (PC-tOO)

1.44MB 3.5'' Floppy Drive
Canopus SPECTRA 2500TNT 16M8
Canopus Pure 3DVoodoo2 24MB
SLI-Mode Witchdoctor TV-OUT
H3D Stereoscopic VR Glasses
14.4GB IBM Deskstar HD (7200RPM)
Iomega Internal ZIP Drive 100MB
SoundBlaster LIVE! 3D Sound
Intensor Sensory Gaming Chair
Speaker/Subwoofer System
Toshiba 3rd Generation DVD Player
ATX Full-Tower Case 300 Watt PS
KoolMaxx Video Cooling System
104-Enhanced Keyboard
Microsoft Intellimouse PS/2
US Robotics 56KV.90 Fax/Modem
SpaceOrb 360 3D Controller '
Windows '98 Operating System
Free Installation & Configuration
of Favorite Games/Latest Drivere

THE "HIVE-IHIIMD’

Intel Pentium 11 400MHz w/MMX ' '

Soyo 6GA 1-AGP 5-PCI 2-ISA Slots
Intel 440BX Motherboard 512K Cache
Expandable to 1GB SDRAM
PC Power Cooling K-1 CPU Fan
128MB SDRAM (PC-100)

1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
Canopus SPECTRA 2500TNT 16MB

Quality Manitars

17" ViewSonic V73 .26dp add: $315.00
1 9“ ViewSonic vgs .26dp add: $495.00 .
21" ViewSonic P810 .25dp add: S1 ,050.00.

Canopus Pure 3DVoodoo2 12MB

[Bimr

EDimSf,

mm i

Witchdoctor TV-OUT
11.SGB Ultra-ATA Hard-Drive
SoundBlaster LIVE! 3D Sound
Cambridge 4-Point Surround
Speaker/Subwoofer System
Toshiba 32X CD-ROM Player
ATX Full-Tower Case 300 Watt PS
KoolMaxx Video Cooling System
104-Enhanced Keyboard
Microsoft Intellimouse PS/2
US Robotics 56KV.90 Fax/Modem
Windows '98 Operating System
Free Installation & Configuration
of Favorite Games/Latest Drivers

k-kit-ki:

WWW.ALIEIMWARE-PC.COIVI
Tall Free: 1-800-494-3302

13398 Southwest IBBth Street. Miami, Florida 33185

Go to #105 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

Taiwan’s bold political activities challenge the
power of Mainland China. With the fury of an angry
dragon, China reacts — crushing the upstart and
expanding its empire. Soon 19 nations are drawn
into conflict World-wide war begins...

PEOPLE’S general; the second
generation of the critfcally'-acclafmed
Panzer General* II, features:

> New ultra-modem and
prototype weapons.

P- New ‘'hide and seek” capabilities.
>■ New unit design flexibility.

>■ New Air Mission System.

CHOOSE from over 200 task forces and Oght as either Chinese
or Western Alliance forces. Deploy weapons systems such as
Ml A3 and T-99 Main Battle Tanks, Werewolf Attack Helicopters,
Starstreak Surface-to-Air Missiles and more. New 16-bit color
and random events add realism
to this strategy epic of

global meltdowni I BEIIPT F, *1 j g

PEOPLE’S GENERAL.

strategy Gaming Looks to the Future.

Visrt your retailer or call

1-800-7T6-8503

with Visa/MC CNorth America only}.
www.peoplesgenerai.com

rEVEBYOHEl

nudscape'Compa^rAII rights reserved. Mlndscape Is a reglslerpomdamlff jfnd its logo Is a trademark ol Miiidscape. Inc., a divlslun
aopip’s General Is a trademark and Ihe SSI logoandPaiuerGeiter^lreif^sieredliademarksol Strategic Simulations. Inc.

^l^olher trademarks and registered trademarks are the propirf/oMheir tespeclive holders.

^|3o to #11 2 @ www.computergaming.com/lnfolink

b(|rhetoarnihg Cor

Myth Busters

Stories That Aren't Fit to Print, but Circulate Anyway

E very year has its share of
pseudojournalistic bits
about the computer gam-
ing industry. My favorite
from 1997 had several
journalists — none of
whom had evidently
played a game prior to
1995— questioning whether Sid
Meier (who gave us PIRATES,
RAILROAD TYCOON, f-19 STEALTH
Fighter, and a number of action
games) could design a real-time
strategy game. As these "scoops"
get repeated, gamers who are usu-
ally rational start worrying, and
fevered debates dominate many a
newsgroup. 1998 is no exception,
and so my holiday gift to you is a
bucket of cold water. I hope you
find dousing these "burning fires"
as refreshing as 1 did.

Myth #1: Turn-based
Games Are Dead
Rubbish. Anyone who has
enjoyed MIGHT & MAGIC VI knows
that a lot of the game's appeal
comes from having both turn-
based and real-time modes. As we
go to press, PEOPLE’S GENERAL is
selling well, and I doubt that EA
will demand anytime soon that SID
MEIER'S ALPHA CENTAURI have a
real-time option. On my most
recent road trip, 9 of 12 publishers
had a turn-based strategy game in
development, and the other 3 were
considering turn-based titles to
balance out their product lines.
Look for titles like CHAOS GATE,
JAGGED ALLIANCE II, and BIRTH OF
THE FEDERATION to snap turn-based
games out of the doldrums.

Myth #2: Real-time
Games Are Dying
More rubbish. The recent poor
sales of several real-time strategy
games (RTS) have alarmed the
retail industry, which always feels

most comfortable when analyzing
sales trends from two years ago.
(Remember — these same retailers
were still embracing the 8-bit con-
sole market up to the last feeble
twitching of its death throes.) If we
are to believe the sales figures,
more than three dozen RTS games
lost money last year.

While this situation is alarming,
it has more to do with lack of
design talent than anything else.
Most of the bad RTS games were

ever really in the wargame busi-
ness, which is admittedly a bit of a
stretch. I-Magic's sales have never
threatened to eclipse those of
TalonSoft or SSI, even with quasi-
historicai titles such as SEVEN
KINGDOMS. 1-Magic did publish the
GREAT BATTLES OF HISTORY series,
of which JULIUS CAESAR is still
worth a look. The odd thing is that
while 1-Magic has given up on
bringing the rest of the Great
Battles boardgame series to the
PC — a real shame for fans of
Samurai \n particular (where are
the Koei guys when you need
them?) — it is using the Erudite
Software engine from GREAT
BATTLES for a totally new game,
NORTH VS. SOUTH. CEO Bill Staley
can talk all he wants about crafting
"mainstream hits" since 1-Magic
went public, but the truth is that
the company needs sales and cash

you're going to be suffering some
serious withdrawal pains. If you
can show a little patience, you'll be
fine. FIGHTING SAIL looks to be
everything that GREAT NAVAL
BATTLES wasn't, and Grigsby and
Brors are hard at work on STEEL
PANTHERS IV.

Myth #5: The
Industry Is Doomed

For the past several years, vari-
ous Wall Street pundits have com-
plained to everyone who would
listen that the computer gaming
industry was doomed by "bad
business models."

The truth is. wherever you have
vulture capitalists, panic follows
soon after. Aside from companies
like cue — which claimed, in a fit
of creative accounting, to have lost
money with back-to-back million-
sellers WARCRAFT II, DIABLO, and

The retail industry always feels most comfortable
when analyzing sales trends from two years ago.

so unoriginal that they'd be just as
awful when played turn-based. In
any case, whenever you have a
fresh idea combined with challeng-
ing gameplay, your product sells —
as the megabits STARCRAFT and
AGE OF EMPIRES show.

The real question is this; Can
RTS games successfully break out
of their C&C/WARCRAFT emula-
tion mode or will they grow
increasingly stale and lose
momentum? A good litmus test
will be how well MYTH II and AGE
OF EMPIRES II do.

Myth #3; 1-Magic Is
Getting Out of the
Wargame Business

First, you have to assume that
the folks from North Carolina were

flow. Call it what you will, but a
Civil War game is a wargame, and
if NORTH VS. SOUTH sells halfway
decently, 1-Magic will certainly do
more titles in the series.

Myth #4: SSI Is Getting Out
of the Wargame Business
The funny thing is that this
almost happened five years ago. If
the original PANZER GENERAL (PG)
hadn't turned into a big hit, SSI
was all set to go with sci-fi and
fantasy titles. Without PG, there
would have been no STEEL
PANTHER series and, likely, no
TalonSoft. Now, the question is one
of degree: If you expect SSI to
crank out 10-12 wargames a year,
you'd better be dusting off your
copy of AGE OF RIFLES because

STARCRAFT — anyone who puts
money into a software venture
(especially a PC game) and expects
to get it back in a year, complete
with interest, is doing some drugs
they should share with me.

It's regrettable that companies
make mistakes and go out of busi-
ness, but change is a good thing.
My guess is that in years to come,
the industry will continue to grow
in fits and spurts, and you'll see
more small outfits pop up. I hope
they won't all be indentured ser-
vants of EA or Microsoft, but they'll
be around. And the best of them
will crank out games that surprise
us and aggravate us and keep us
up late at night. May all the games
you get under this year's tree do
half as much,

v.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 199B

Rigor Motorist

/bsHSH

i»'»£V

Tai^eting Canada

Y our October issue had a disturbing ad for a Psygnosis
game called Global Domination (page 103). The ad
says "BAD DAY? Take it out on Canada (no hard
feelings, eh?)." I'm Canadien and I know lots of
people who are Canadien who subscribe to your
magazine, and we're not ready to take this kind of crap. Some of
them are considering canceling their subscription to your mag (not
me), so you guys and the people at Psygnosis should lay off the
crap about Canada because you might lose some of your
subscribers here.

We’ re not holding you guys directly responsible but blaming you
a bit for putting that dumb ad in the magazine.

— Hugh Jass
Via the Internet

Johnny Wilson responds: Your letter conhrms the dreaded
rumors we had heard of the demise of a Canadian sense of humor.
We didn 't want to believe it. Canada has been the source of some
of our best humorists and some of the freshest television comedy.
Yet, it seems that some Canadians don 't understand the
ridiculously hyperbolic nature of the Global Domination ad.

For the record, I did not have the opportunity to review the ad,
but even if I had I wouldn't have rejected it. Also, for the record, I
think the Canadian National Anthem is FAR better than the U.S.

BAD DAY?

* 4 :

Take it out on canai^

(no hati fee^ eh?)

COUINGSOOR

national anthem; the Canadian government's approach to the arts
is far more enlightened than that of the U.S.; that the Canadian
Rockies are more impressive than the U.S. Rockies; that lacrosse is
more exciting to watch than golf (heck, curling is more exciting to
watch than golf); that your House of Commons Is more interesting
than our House of Representatives; and that Montreal will once
again be a great hockey team.

Incidentally, what kind of a name is Hugh Jass? Sounds like one
of Bart Simpson's phone pranks. "Is there a Hugh Jass there?"

add-on for Diablo.

Synergistic Software

Your November Read.Me article
("For Sale: Cendant Software," pg.
371) failed to mention another
"important entity" that was
affected by the CUC takeover of
Sierra On-line et al: Synergistic
Software. Synergistic was founded
in 1 978 by Robert and Ann Clardy.
The company produced more than
1 50 titles, including Thexder and
Spirit OE Excalibur, and more
recently Birthright and Hellfire, the

cue's acquisition of Sierra
precipitated the disintegration of
the Synergistic division — which
was purchased by Sierra in 1995 —
last year. However, the founders
are currently in negotiations to
form a new development company,
working title "Eclectic Games."

— JeffRenaud
British Columbia, Canada
Via the Internet

Loyd Worship

One of the best features of your
magazine isn't printed on gloss
stock. It's not a fold-out. It's not
even a cover story. It's a person,
Loyd Case. I've been a reader for
years as well as a subscriber. I
wanted to know what games I
should buy hopefully in time to
avoid buying garbage, so I turned
to you. I've also been a bit of a
system builder to support these
games. Over the past six months.
I've been building my own version
of a cross between Loyd's No Holds
Barred and Lean Machines, as my
budget permits. Using the
components in these machines as a
loose guide 1 built a machine which,
by all accounts, should keep me
happily gaming for another two
years. I ran each important part by
Loyd Case. Despite his busy
schedule, Loyd added his two cents

where appropriate and eased my
mind about what I was about to
buy. Last week, I bought the last
piece of this system, the CPU, I was
thrilled! I'd been testing the system
previously with a borrowed CPU
and all went well. BUT, with the
new CPU I was getting errors.

Through lots of research, phone
calls (no thanks to Microsoft's
"support"), and sleepless nights I
started to see a light at the end of
the tunnel. That light was amplified
when Loyd gave me his insights as
well. In the end the problem was
resolved (Ultra DMA requirements,
Seagate Medalist Pro 6.5 GB drive,
integrated IDE, and of course MS
Windows 98 all played a part). 1
would like to formally thank Loyd
Case and Computer Gaming World
for their parts in getting my system
online and ready to play. With a
guy like Loyd on your staff, you

/. computergaming. c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

FAigis K otoimcn

June '97

Arttst'

FALCON NORTHWEST

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

j| Mar '98 a a

; E,VtN MvTHS BtCOMt REAL

i- Mar '98

ON A Falcon

i Feb '98

1 Jan '93

l~666~rALCON~l

WWW.rALCON~NW.COAi

Custom uuilt PCs starting at $Z,4?5 tor gaml plaving,

GAME DflSIGN, GRAPHICS. OR IVIH GUTTING SOME WORK DONE..

Go to #257 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

COMPUTER

GAMIMC

ThoWIPC G.-»mc Mogi«!.ia R l_ D

Features Editor Denny Atkin (Simulations)

Reviews Editor Terry Coleman (Wargames)

Technical Editor Dave Salvator (Hardware)
Associate Editor Jeff Green (Adventure, SporU)
Associate Editor Robert 'Machine Gun' Coffey (Action, Strategy)
Assistant Editor Allen Greenberg

Thierry "Sci

;er" Nguyen

iditor Unda Y, Fan
ors Scorpia (Adventure Games),
Charles Ardai (Interactive Fiction), Loyd Case (Hardware)
Founder Russell Sipe

Art Director Dan Fitzpatrick
Associate Art Director Steven Wanczyk

Production Director Carlos Lugo
Production Manager Martin Walthall
Electronic Prepress Group
Manager Michele Kellogg
Assistant Manager Tamara Gargus
Technician Roger Drake

Address questions and feedback to:

CGIVEditorial, 135 Main St., 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.
Oryou may contact us via:

Phone: (415)357-4900
Editorial Fax: (415) 357-4977
CGWIetters®zd.com

Web site: vvvvw.computergamlng.coni

Associate Pubiisher Suzanne Reider (415) 357-491 5
East Coast Sales Manager Laura Pitaniello (212) 503-4851
East Coast Sales Assistant Megan Moran (212) 503-3926
Southwest Sales Manager Pat Walsh (949) 851-2556
Southwest Sales Assistant Sandy Marciniak (949) 852-5914
Midwest Sales Manager MarciYamaguchi (415) 357-4944
Silicon Valiey/Northwcst Sates Manager
Oru Montgomery (415) 357-4925
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National Account Rep Joann Casey (41 5) 357-4920
Advertising Coordinator Leslie Ventimiglia (415) 357-4930
Assistant to the Publisher Linda Fan (415) 357-5425
Account Representative Tallie Conner (415) 357-5226

Address inquiries to CGtV Advertising, 135 Main St, 14ih Floor, San
Francisco, CA 94105; or call (415) 357-5398, fax (415) 357-4999.

Vice President Jon Lane
Business Manager Cynthia Mason
Associate Business Manager Shelley Dickerson
Executive Director, Marketing and Research

Randy Cohen

setlption service questions, address changes or ordering Inform
30 within the U.S. and Canada. Mt other countries call (303) EC

n, call (303)
i3)E04-7445 or write
ox 57167, Boulder, CO 80322-7167. The one year
issue) subscription rate is 527.94 in the U.5.. and 543.94 outside the U.S.; the rate
one year (12 issue) subscriptions with the monthly CD-ROM Is 542.94 In (he U.5.,
id 558.94 outside the U.S. Checks must be made payable in U.S. cunerKy only to
Computet Gaming World.

Back issues can be purchased for 58 in the U.S. and 510 outside die U.S. (CD-ROM version
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to Computer Gaming World. Mail your request to Bark Issuers, ZD, Inc, P.O. Box S3t 31,
Boulder, C0 80322-313t.

We periodically make Kstsofour customers available to mailenofgoo^ and services that
may interest you. If you do not wish to reorve such mailkigs, please write to us and indude
a copy ot your malTrog 1^.

guys aren't just a gaming magazine, you're a
computing professional's magazine too. Keep
up the good work!

— Jim Pierce
Tacoma, WA
Via the Internet

CH F-16 Combat Stick

Let me congratulate you on a great
magazine. I received the October issue at
work, and found great reason to shirk my
responsibilities. I was equally excited when I
saw Dave Salvator and Loyd Cases'
contribution on the "Killer Rigs" page. Just
what I needed— I'm in the market for a good
flight stick for under $50. Once I saw the CH
F-16 Combat Stick on the list for $34. 1
immediately jumped onto the CH Products
Web site. Only once I got there, much to my
dismay, I saw the CH F-16 priced at $89!

What gives?

— Steve Murphy

Unfortunately we did print the wrong
price in the October issue. However we
have seen the F-16 Combat Stick on the
street for $49. In addition, Flight Sim
Central has the Jane's F-16 Combat Stick, a
slightly higher-end model, for $69.
Pricewatch reports two entries around $60.

The $89 price is only if you order it directly
from CH Products.

Wherefore Art Thou Scorpia?

it has been 4-5 months since the last of
Scorpia's articles or columns graced the pages
of the magazine. She was the best reviewer of
the sort of games I've always enjoyed that
CGWhas had (I've been reading the magazine
forever 12 years now), and I've looked in vain
a couple of times at these Web sites that are
supposed to be where CJl4/has a Web
presence, without seeing anything about her
or written by her, What's the deal, folks?

— Kiwi
Via the Internet

kVe think she ran off with Martin Cirulis.
Just kidding. Scorpia is alive and well and will
continue to review games forCGW. She
offers her patented brand of dungeoneering
pointers this month on Might & Magic VI, and
next month she'll be back with a new game
review. Everyone needs a little time now and
again to shaipen their claws.

Really, It's Hard Work

I just finished reading your articles in the
October issue of CGW. 1 look forward to each
issue and your often humorous slants on

Now ftet'sforce feedback!

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

v.computcrgamlng.c

Chairman and CEO Eric Hippeau
Chief Financial Officer Timothy O'Brien
Presidents

ZD Publishing Claude P. Sheer
ZD Market Intelligence Bob Brown
ZD Comdex and Forums Jason Chudnolsky
ZD Brand and Market Services Terri Holbrooke
ZD Internet Productions Oan Rosensweig
ZD Education William Rosenthal
ZD Television UrryW.Wangberg

Senior Vice Presidents Rayna Brown (Human Resources}
Daryl R. Otte (Planning and Development)

Vice Presidents Steve Gladyszewski (Information Services)
J. Malcolm Morris (General Counsel and Seaetaiy)

Mark Moyer (Controller)

Tracy Nadi (Human Resources, Operations)

Treasurer Thomas L. Wright

Corporate Sales Joe Gillespie (Executive Vice President)

ZD Media Network Jeff Bruce (Executive Director)
Scott Murphy (Executive Director)

Rita Burke (Managing Director)

ZD Brand and Market Services

Brooke Correll (Vice President, ZD Brand Marketing)
Michael Perkowski (Vice President, Client Marketing)
Elda Vale (Vice President, Corporate Research)

Herb Stern (Vice President, ZD Brand Management)
Gregory Jarboe (Director, Corporate Relations)

President Claude P. Sheer

Executive Vice Presidents
Don Byrnes
Chris Dofabrow
Jack Dolce
Al DiGuido
Thomas McGrade
Michael J. Miller

Senior Vice President Nancy Newman
Vice Presidents

Bob Bader, John Dodge, Kathleen Goodwin, Roger Herrmann,
Jonathan Lane, Eric Lundquist, Jim Manning, Charles Mast, James F.
Ramaley, Paul Somerson, Mark Van Name , Sam Whitmore

Executive Director, Licensing Gertrud Borchardt

Director, Benchmark Operations Bill Catchings

Director, ZD Labs Lauren Black

Editorial Director, New Products Bill Machrone

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD (ISSN 0744-6667} is published monthly by
Ziff-Davis. Copyright ® 1 998 Ziff-Davis. All Rights Reserved. Material in
this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permissmn.
If you want to quote from an article, write to Chanfal Tucker, One Park
Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5802, or fax 212-503-5420,

Computer Gaming Worl

ZIFF-DAVIS

SOFTBANK
company

01 affiliated with IDG.

Audit Bureau of
Circuialiom
Member

ABC

AUDITED

For reprints, please call Ziff-Davis
reprints at (800) 825-4237.

technology and software. This latest couple
on video cards and "how graphic work"
articles helped me decide exady what I'm
looking for in a video card. I do enjoy your
expertise. Though I am a little jealous of your
ability to be paid for "playing" with the new
equipment.

— BillSzuch
Via the Internet

Fresh Filler

Since Jeff Green's article in your October
issue, I've made it a point to only read the ads
and pass over those annoying "filler" articles
in your fine magazine. While flipping through
November's issue, I came upon Empire
Interadve's ad for 101st Airborne in
Normandy. What immediately struck me was
the shield insignia, a United States flag. Gone
was the trademark screaming eagle of that
most famous WW I! airborne unit. ! checked
back issues; sure enough, the screaming
eagle appeared in all previous ads. Where did
the screaming eagle insignia go? Can you
make a right turn off the elevator and ask
sales why the eagle was replaced?

I also spotted Advent's ad in the November
issue. After seeing the picture of the woman
chained and collared like an animal, I deep-
sixed my Advent speakers and went shopping
for a different vendor. 1, of course, referred to
your "filler" article on speakers before
making my choice,

— Sir Galahad
Via the Internet

Good question. We tried to ask sales, but
they were out evidently getting new coifs.
None of the guys who do filler knew, and we
weren't able to reach anyone at Empire. We
suspect someone representing the lOlst-an
active U.S. Army unit~-wasn 't flattered that
their insignia was used for advertising. Best
not to mess with the Screaming Eagles.

CGW Archivist of the Month

One of my favorite parts of the magazine is
the Hall of Fame. I feel that every game on
the list deserves to be honored. However, I
have noticed mistakes with the dates listed
next to the games {which 1 am assuming are
the original publishing dates). I know for a
fact that I was playing Gunship long before
1989. However, not being an established or
well-known expert on the subject, I decided
to do some research on the matter before
bringing it to your attention. Of course, I
relied on my primary source of computer
gaming information, and it did not let me

down. If you will took at issue number 54 of
your fine magazine, the December 1988
issue, you will see that Gunship is already in
the Hall of Fame. Also note that SiimCity, a
game reportedly published in 1987, is not in
the Hall of Fame or even on the top 50
strategy games list.

— Travis Hamer
Via the Internet

Thanks for alerting us about the incorrect
date for Gunship. It was released in 1987, the
same year SimCity came out. SimCity started
off slowly in our ratings because it was
originally a Macintosh game. Even then, there
were few Mac gamers. Later, SimOty cracked
the magic list and set sales records.

Amphetamine Boy

I recently entered a contest to win a
Voodoo^ where they asked to describe in 50
words or less why you deserve to win this
prestigious prize. My reply was as follows:

I want to know what it feels like to have
your mouth turn inside out, shooting your
teeth through the back of your skull, to have
your tongue stretched so you can now scratch
the back of your head, and to not care about
it because your eyes have enlarged 4x their
normal size, and you can't feel your body
cause your jaw has tom away all the skin and
smashed your toes in one supersonic motion.

Are you saying you wish to deny me of this
experience? NOOOOOHll

— Drew Fortey
Via the Internet

Try taking our tech editor's 3D card away
from him, and you can experience all that,
plus being thrown from the Golden Gate
Bridge and shot before you hit the water.

DEPT OF CORRECTIONS
In our November issue, we incorrectly
listed a price of S29.95 for NASCAR Racing
1999 EomoN. The new edition is actually
549.95, but Sierra offers a S20 rebate for
owners of NASCAR Racing It. The 1999
Edition includes a full version of NASCAR
Racing 2, updated from the 1998 season,
plus the Busch Series Grand National and
the Craftsman Truck series.

In our November story about Cendant
software, we identified HFS, the company
that merged with CUC to form Cendant
Corp., as Household Finance Services. HFS
actually stands for Hospitality Franchise
Systems. We apologize for the error.

/.compulergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » JULY 1998

the Age of Empires Expansion: The Rise of Rome. ^

'ays and punishing Fire Galley— all on new and challenging '’^***’

nan maps. Plus, this highly anticipated Expansion Pack
ides features four new campaigns and production queues to

/ 0 _ carefully plan your historic civiliaation's growth.

'f . So visit www.microsoft.com/gamcs/aoccxpansion

and start extending Age of Empires into a new era
of world domination.

going where you always
wanted it to go: Rome. In addition to the Roman
Empire, this official Expansion Pack also includes
the legendary civilizations of Palmyra. Macedonia, and ^

Carthage, each with their own strengths and
weaknesses. Test your mettle with new units like the
crafty Camel Rider, powerful Scythe Chariot, fearless Slinger,

Microsoft

ON THE WEB

Go Get It Online

Plug In for the Latest News, Reviews, Demos, and Strategies

F or the best in gaming, turn to the experts at GameSpotand CGW Online. You'll find a wealth of
news, reviews, and previews as well as cool demos and hard-core strategies for all of the hottest
games. You'll also find excellent technical advice and game-based hardware reviews from
technical guru Loyd Case. Don't waste time or hard-earned cash — when you need accurate
information, read what the pros have to say at www.gamespot.com.

Special Reports

ECTS '98 News Coverage!

GameSpot UK pulled out all the stops and—
with some help from GameSpot U.S., ZDNet
UK, and PC Gaming l^/'or/i^— posted definitive
news coverage of this year’s European
Computer Trade Show. The big games were all
there, including Diablo II, Max Payne, Daikatana,
Half-Life, Klingon Honor Guard, and more.

B e sure to make GameSpot's
GameGuides.com your one-stop
shop for strategy guides on the Web.
Just enter www.gameguides.com in your
browser to find strategies, hints, tips, and
walk-throughs for these games:

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
As secret operative Six, you'll learn the
best way to lead your team of
commandos through some of the
toughest anti-terrorist campaigns this
side of La Femme Nikita. Check it out on
the Web or download it!

Sybex's Unofficial Final Fantasy VII
Strategies and Secrets
You get a complete walkthrough: game-
breaking strategies, hints, and tips;
incredible tables for every monster, item,
weapon, and materia; and advice for
breeding chocobos!

Learn the best path through each level,
the puzzle solutions, the locations of
secret rooms, the strategies for defeating
all the foes, and
the game-
breaking cheats.

Other Strategy Guides:
StarCraft
Soldiers at War
Aae of Emoires

Hot Reviews

GameSpot is ready for the holiday rush
with tons of reviews to help you in your gift-
buying (and receiving) frenzy, Check out
these top picks:

Rainbow Six

Take control of an international team of
supersecret operatives, doing the dirty work
other nations wouldn't publicly touch, While
generally better than Spec Ops, Rainbow Six
carries its own baggage, especially where the
conflict of realism vs. gameplay rears its ugly
head. Find out why you should stuff your
stocking with this action game.

Commandos:

Behind Enemy Lines

This sleeper strategy game will please
fans of strategic combat, puzzle-solving,
and WWII era warfare alike. GameSpot's
Greg Kasavin found it a genuinely original
game of tactics, planning, and precision.

Mortal Kombat 4

Midway's popular fighting-game
series goes 3D — and gets an excellent
translation on the PC. The fourth time
around the game has gone polygonal,
giving the developers much more
leeway when it comes to adding new
moves, holds, and characters.

GameSpot had an expert review this
game — videogames.com reviews
editor Jeff Gerstmann.

Warlords III;

Darklords Rising

Command a fantasy army in Warlords III:
Darklords Rising, the game that reaffirms Red
Orb's franchise as one of the best strategy
series around. It's what Reign of Heroes fans
have been waiting for.

Motocross Madness

Microsoft's new driving game offers
everything you could hope for in a motocross
simulation and then some, with its multitude
of modes and good terrain graphics. Hop on
your bike and get ready for some virtual
motocross fun.

/.computergaming. com

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

H 0 U I R E S

eccELEnnroii

SELECTED TO

LEAD THE ROGUE

ISQUADROJSr IN

f COMBAT AGAINST

THE EMPIRE.

ERE'S YOUR DRAFT CARD

\AMM% Your draft card? A 3D accelerator card, of course. It’s the mandator)- hardwai'c

* ® ncccssan' for \'ou to enlist in a brand new. raoid-fire Star Iliiis air combat

experience - Rogue Squadron 3D. Immerse I'ourself in the role of Luke
Sk\’\\’alker. leader of the Rebel Alliance’s elite air corps, as \-ou pilot a bniad lange
of well-armed starfighters. From X-wings, Y-wings and A-wings to snowspeeders,
)'ou'Il be able to unleash Rebel weaponry on the evil Empire in o\’cr 15 missions (day and night) - each spanning the \-ast iVar Ilni^
universe. Blast AT-ATs. Til;, fighters. Imperial shuttles and more. Strap in, young Skywalkcr. It’s the fight (and flight) of your life.

Go to #185 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

ON THE CC-ROM

Speed Thrills

Hit the Road With Four Racing Games and 15 Demos

I f you love driving or racing games, this is the
demo disc for you. Our lead demo, Need For Speed
III: Ho; Pursuit, is the new arcade racer from EA
that showcases beautiful 3D acceleration and has
force-feedback support. Speed Busters, previewed
in this issue, is another hot racing title on this
month's disc. In it, you'll get to race the
Hollywood track and sample the damage
model. If you’re into either realistic
motorcycle or Grand Prix racing, check out
Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions or
Johnny Herbert's Grand Prix 1998,

Friends, Romans, countrymen: boot up the
Caesar III demo. You'll get to play two scenarios
focused on city management.

Flying fans should load up Israeli Air Force to get a
break from the all-American sim fare. Also check out
iF/A-1 8 Carrier Strike Fighter.

For action fans, we've got Return Fire 2, Jazz
Jackrabbit 2, Crop Circles, and Montezuma's Return, the
3D-accelerated sequel to the classic platform game,
Montezuma's Revenge.

Strategy lovers will get into the People's General
demo or Knights & Merchants. Whatever your interest,
with 1 9 demos on this month’s disc you're sure to find
something that turns you on.

PRODUaNAME

PLATFORM

DIRECTORY/DEMOS

EXECUTABLE

3D Railroad Master

W95

3D Railroad Master

setup.exe

Caesar III

W95

Caesar III

caesar3.exe

Crop Circles

wgs

Crop Circles

crop1100.exe

Earthlink opt 1

W95

Earthlinki

/win95/setup.exe

Earthlink opt 2

W95

EarthlInkZ

/win95/setup.exe

Front Office Football

W95

Front Office Football

frfdemo.exe

Grand Prix World Champions

W95

Grand Prix

setup.exe

iF/A-18E Carrier Strike Fighter

W95

iF/A-18E

if18demo.exe

Israeli Air Force

W95

Israeli Air Force

iafdemo.exG

Jazz Jackrabbit 2

W95

Jazz Jackrabbit 2

j2swc123.exe

Knights and Merchants

W95

Knights & Merchants

demo_120,exe

Meridian 59 Insurrection

W95

Meridian 59

setup.exe

Montezuma's Return

W95

Montezuma's Return

mrdem126.exe

Need for Speed III

W95

Need for Speed III

nfsdem.exe

People's General

W95

People's General

setup.exe

Plane Crazy

W95

Plane Crazy

planecrazydemo.exe

Return Fire 2

W9S

Return Fire 2

rf2s3d.exe

Sentinel

W95

Sentinel

setup.exe

Speed Busters: American Highways

W95

Speed Busters

spbdemo.exe

SuperBike World Champions

W95

SuperBike

setup.exe

TEN/Wulfram

W95

TEN

setup.exe

How to Use the Disc

4ie CD is AutoPlay-enabled and should begin upon
loading it into the CD-ROM drive. Otherwise, from the
Start Menu in Windows 95, type D:\RUN-ME (where D is
the letter of your CD-ROM drive) to run it straight from
the CD. You may type DEINSTALL to create a CGW
program group on your Windows desktop for future
fun. To run, many demos require the disc to be in
the CD-ROM drive in order to run; therefore, we
recommend installing the demos from our disc.

To Get the CD-ROM

T o subscribe to the CD-ROM version of CGW, call
(303) 665-8930. If you already receive the
magazine without the CD, you must wait until your
current subscription expires before receiving the CD
version. Please address subscription complaints to
cgw@neodata.com. Neodata is a magazine fulfillment house,
which is not owned or operated by Ziff-Davis.

December CD Titles

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

/. computergaming.com

C “ FIWeERS FLYING AND YOUR SEIZES
:EL' -G er EMeftRKiNG ON THE Mt^T
'•'y -BiTING ADRENALINE-PUMPPg
iNBALL EXTRAVAGANZA EVER HjJ '
HE HIGHWAYS. OOZING CHARACTER jj
ORIGINAUrY FROM EVEim' 'M
PORE, BIG R.ACE USA WILL LEAVE
YOUR WHEELS SPINNING AND
YOUR HEAriT POUNDING.

Tha first pinbati game EVER to include a real-time “head-to-head” mode
for exciting two player action (via LAN and Internet)

* Fun “road trip across America” theme, featuring 16 major cities as play zones,
W^E brought to life with fantastically detailed 3D graphics

Multi-b all fe^re allows up to 10 BALLS in play at one

Innovative Dot Matrix screen provides “game within the game” action
o Customizable table slope, flipper strength, outlane
^9|w|N|^^^|^BHH||H|H^slingshot power and tilt sensitivity

Loaded with features and surprises around every turn r

4,&£aaiK#.\

ACTUAL SCREEN SHOT! k

empire

1 N T E rIaCTIVE

lire-us.com Tel: 1 800 216 9706

)85 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

INTO

SINK YOUR TGGTH

B thematically unique battle environments
which, when consumed together, create
a wholly new gaming experience.

As you progress, you'll be force fed .
the most challenging and terrifying /
alien action ever seen before in a i*
space-based action game.

So open up the hatch
and let 'er rip!

SupErior artificial intElli-
gsncE provides unlimited
variation in game play.

Full 3D acceleration card
support. Software mode
available.

Multi-player support with
up to six players. Full
DireetPlay support lets
you play on internet, LAN,
modem or direct serial
connections.

Dead Reckoning supports user add-on levels
(Editor Included). Additional levels submitted
by users will be available for free download
from time to time at www.deadreckoning.net.
Check www.deadreckoning.net regularly for
future contests, add on levels and updates.

Forco Feedback
Compacible

PifiiilidInliracliwPiidlshinj lie.. IP39 lint Orth. Suite 0. leinpi OrizuittSOliS. (002] 091 ISOO. luuuipirwkiiitiricliKi

THIS mUCH

Edited by Ken Brown (Ken_Br0wn@2d.com)

Giant Killer

Be One Big Badass in SLA VE ZERO

G iant robot games are becoming as common as a wasp in your beer,
but SLAVE ZERO takes an entirely new approach: Enormous
mechanical warriors duke it out amid towering cityscapes, grab-
bing pedestrians, hurling vehicles, and spraying fire on anything
that moves.

If, by some act of a very considerate God, you were put inside a 60-foot, bullet-
spraying, rocket launching, biomechanical robot, probably the last things on your
mind would be heat management and waypoints. No, most likely you'd be try-
ing to hit a skyscraper with a bus you just picked up. SLAVE ZERO lets you
do this and then some, in gigantic, futuristic city environments
teeming with targets — er, life. The amount of activity is dizzy-
ing, with screaming pedestrians, speeding vehicles,
swooping attack helicopters, crumbling structures,
and, of course, other giant robots.

At the center of this maelstrom is you, part of
a larger rebellion force striving to wrest con-
trol of the city away from an evil dictator.

The odds seem hopelessly stacked against
you ever since the development of the
dictator's Slaves, huge biomechanical
combat units. Fortunately, you just
happen to get hold of one and thus
begins your destructive march
toward peace.

While the design team has solid
roots in the giant robot arena
(director Sean Vesce was lead
designer for MECHWARRIOR 2),
the focus in SLAVE ZERO is on
action and interactive environ-
ments instead of the sparse
environments in most giant robot
sims. To create the game's huge,
destructible cities and allow for

Here's why it wouldn't be much fun playing
SLAVE ZERO as a pedestrian.

meticulously detailed animation, the team spent
several months creating the Ecstasy engine to
drive the game. Judging from what we've seen,
you couldn't ask for much more, The Slave anima-
tion, in particular, is spectacular, with a fluidity of
movement that lends this behemoth an almost
simian grace,

The single-player game takes place from a third-
person perspective. While not having a first-person
perspective for this sort of game might seem odd,
watching your alter ego violently stomp through
the world is a large part of the fun. There will be
16 missions, each with specific, uncomplicated
objectives. The missions will grow from being
mostly ground-based to emphasizing the vertical
nature of the game's towering cities. Accolade is
being tight-lipped about level locations, but
expect at least one acrophobic nightmare of
rooftop-leaping combat and a slimy wade through
the city's cavernous sewer system.

Multiplayer specifics are still being hammered
out, though straight-ahead deathmatches are
definitely planned. The team is considering other
options, including one mode where players will
have to forgo weapons and instead battle by
throwing cars, trucks, and anything else they can
grab at each other. We're really hoping this idea
makes the cut.

Slated for a late Spring 1 999 release, SLAVE ZERO
is one of the most promising action titles on next
year's horizon. Look for more car-stomping,
building-ripping coverage in CGW's upcoming
cover story. — Robert Coffey

Angel of Death

REQUIEM Lets You Smite Your
Foes the Old Testament Way

C raving some good old fashioned, "eye for an eye" biblical retribution? Then REQUIEM:
AVENGING ANGEL might be the manna from heaven you've been waiting for. After a
group of rebellious angels (the Fallen) sets out to destroy mankind, the Big Guy
himself selects you to go straighten things out. As the angel Malachi you take on human
form to square off against the Fallen and their hideous minions.

requiem's thunderous action sprawls across 30 levels based in such realistic locales as
power plants, hospitals, refugee camps, and cities, as well as the more fantastic environ-
ments of space stations and the gore-slicked bowels of Hell. You'll be confronted with ene-
mies such as demons, mind-controlled soldiers, and the Fallen themselves. While we only
had a limited alpha version to play, all the enemies displayed a daunting viciousness sure to
satisfy the run-and-gun crowd.

REQUIEM will also feature lots of NPC interaction as a core facet of gameplay.
Conversations with ordinary citi-
zens will flesh out the plot and
open up new levels. Scripted scenes
executed in the game as opposed
to rendered cut-scenes will also
provide hints and story details. It
should add up to a more engaging
world than the average shooter.

With the usual assortment of
machine guns, grenade launchers,
and sniper rifles, REQUIEM'S
weapons likely won't strike anyone
as special. It shouldn't matter —
gamers will be too busy using
Malachi's angelic powers to notice.

There are about two dozen different powers, both offensive and defensive, and they will be
what truly defines REQUIEM. Enemies can be turned into crumbling pillars of salt, set upon
with stinging plagues of locusts, torn apart by divine lightning, or have their blood boiled
until they convulse, squirt blood, and explode into meaty chunks. Defensively, you will have
shielding powers, an enemy-repulsion capability, and the ability to resurrect the dead to
fight on your side.

Cyclone Studios has developed their own engine to drive the game, and it's looking
good. The bloody halls of Chaos pulse and are scabbed with the twisting, tormented
bodies of moaning penitents: lighting effects enrich explosions and fireball-like Brimstone
power; and some especially cool particle effects make the Turn to Salt power a thing of
malevolent beauty.

Throw in eight-player deathmatches and multiplayer options that could include pitched
battles between teams of Chosen and Fallen, and REQUIEM: AVENGING ANGEL has the look
of a winner. Look for it to hit the shelves in early 1 999. — Robert Coffey

Boil a bad guy's blood and watch him pop like a blood-gorged tick. Hallelujah!

^.compiitorgaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

Max Payne

characters. This game makes
RESIDENT EVIL look positively
bright and cheery.

Braveheart

O kay, when we saw this title at
E3 under its original moniker,
TARTAN ARMY, we wrote it off as
"MYTH in skirts." While it still
appears like that, a closer look at
the more fully developed version
on show at ECTS showed it to
actually be one of the standout
titles of the show. Because the
battles re-created in the game are
the same ones from the Mel
Gibson drama, Eidos licensed the
name and turned the game into
BRAVEHEART. The connection to

Nocturne

A Jolly Good Show

E lio, mate! Fancy a look at the top sights of
the European Computer Trade Show?
Alright, then, but when you've had enough
of the birds, check out these games!

variety of vampires, werewolves,
ghosts, zombies, and other annoy-
ing members of the undead club.
The real-time shadow effects are
spectacular, and the storyline
seems promising too: The devel-
opers are trying to capture a
1930's pulp magazine style. Over
the course of the quest-driven
storyline, you’ll play nine different

Remedy>Giiliiering of Developers

This third-person action adven-
ture under development in
Finland makes TOMB RAIDER look
like a Commodore 64 game.
Framed cop Payne is out to prove

his innocence and avenge himself
in underground New York. Far
from being your standard shoot-
fest. Max Payne is a John Woo
movie made silicon, with slow

motion shootouts (where even
discarded bullet casings can be
seen) and a hero who will do for
women gamers what Lara Croft
did for men. The game's weapons
are all based on real-world equiv-
alents. While this may not be rev-
olutionary, the modeling of the
weapons is. MAX PAYNE
will feature a 3D particle-
based system, so that
muzzle flashes are both
randomized and more
realistic. The same can be
said for the smoke trails
that issue from hot gun
muzzles. The realism of the
gun modeling goes all the
way to the bullets them-
selves, which are actually mod-
eled and rendered as they leave
weapons at real-world velocities,
following realistic trajectories and
causing believable damage.

As for Payne, he'll have
plenty of moves, and so will
his opponents. It was a pleasant
surprise to see opponents dive
into the scene, fire a few shots,
and roll for cover, rather than just
standing there shooting back as
you fire at them. The graphic
detail is amazing — even the graf-
fiti on the walls is perfect. And the
story is as important as the action
here — over 80 comic-book-style
interludes set the scenes for the
various action sequences.

Take 2/Gathering of Developers

W e've never seen a game that
does such a good job of
capturing a dark, forboding
atmosphere. Due in the fall of '99,
NOCTURNE is a third-person
action-adventure that pits you

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 199B

/.tomputergamrnR ■

Taisho: Total War

the film is the use of the main
characters as generals for your
armies. The game itself is far more
than a battle-fest. Although the
motion-captured MYTH-perspec-
tive battles were quite impressive,
we were just as impressed with
the kingdom-management
portions of the game, which
embodied the better elements of
DEFENDER OF THE CROWN, CIVIL-
IZATION, and CASTLES. This is one
to watch.

Kingpin

Inlerplay/Xatrix

K ingpin is not just another
QUAKE !l-engine game.
Developer Xatrix, best known for
REDNECK RAMPAGE and the first
QUAKE II mission pack, has added
so much to id Software's creation
that it looks better than UNREAL.
KINGPIN is not just a blaster but an
action adventure, where animated
vignettes unveil the plot at key
intervals. The criminal underworld it
portrays is incredibly atmospheric,
as are the characters who populate
it. Unlike most 3D characters, these
are intensely detailed, from their
tattoos and night vision goggles to
their ever-changing facial expres-
sions, Very impressive,

shadow Company

at the height of the Samurai age.
The real-time element is in gor-
geous DARK OMEN-style 3D, with
variable camera angles. It has
incredible depth of view, allowing
thousands of troops to be
onscreen at one time. Even at this
early stage troop control and
movement is impressively man-
aged by the engine. See our pre-
view next month.

Tamsari

Psygnosis

P sygnosis describes Tamsari as
"more grotesquely violent than
MORTAL COMBAT," and it's hard to
dispute that claim. Tamsari is a
first-person 3D action game based
on the story of a chap called
Tarshi who is trying to piece

O ne of the more interesting
titles to debut at ECTS was
this 3D, real-time adventure from
Munich-based developer Discreet
Monsters. Don't confuse this with
the cutesy children's movie; this
game is based on Michael Ende's
original book, which in its native
Germany has sold almost as many
copies as the Bible. It's a much
darker tale than
the movie as the
hero, Atreyu,
comes up against
the evil scorpion
queen, Gaya.

Gameplay is
heavily linked to
the storyline and
includes puzzles,
combat, character
interaction, and exploration.

Interactive Magic

O ne of several strategic
squad-based games that
appeared at ECTS, SHADOW
COMPANY was arguably the
stand-out. You're a mercenary
commander whose
team has been
stranded in a cen-
tral African war
zone when a corpo-
rate client backed
out, and now you
need to survive and
avenge yourself.

To complete the
seven campaigns,
each of which has

between 10 and 30 mis-
sions, you must rely on 12
mercenaries whose different
abilities hold the key to
your survival. You'll also
have your pick of weapons,
including rifles, grenades,
and flame throwers, plus
vehicles that include
boats, cars, bikes, jet skis,
and snowmobiles. The
3D-enhanced graphics iook very
tasty, and SHADOW COMPANY is
sure to be a winner both in terms
of visuals and gameplay.

F ans of the recently deceased
Akira Kurosawa and the televi-
sion series Shogun wW delight in
The Creative Assembly's impres-
sive new strategy and war game.
It combines /?/s/r-style macro-
strategy with real-time warfare
It's set circa 1 6th century in Japan

Special Cholesterol-choltecl Holiday-edition.

30 Ultra NASCAR Pinball Dyrmt

04 ’98

loth Planet Bstbesda

04 ’93

101st Aatonie in Normandy Empire

04 ‘98

20K leagues Under the Sea Sn^k

04 •38

Age of Empires II EnseirMMcosoii

01 ‘98

Alien vs. Predator fw

04 '38

Asheron's Call Turblne/MicTasoll

04 '98

Baja 1000 Rating Red Orb

01 ‘93

BalduYs Gate Inlerplay

Battle of Britain lalonSofl

04 '98

Beneath Acinic

Ot'99

Big Brother Me(£aX

04 '98

Birth of the Federation UcoProse

04 'K

Blatkstone Chronicles tegendSSI

04 ‘38

Canal Soccer 99 Irdograrres

Carmageddon 2 Interplay

04 ’98

Centipede 3D Hasbro

Q4’98

Cnilization: Call to Power Mmn

or99

Combat Hight Simulator Mkoosoh

04 '98

Confirmed Kill Erdos

04 '98

Conflict of Nations Sega

04 ‘98

D-Jump Ubi Soil

04 '98

Daikatana ton Sinm/Etlos

04 '98

Dark Side of the Moon SoutliPe^

04 ‘38

Dark Vengeance GT kiteraaKe

01 '98

Dawn ofWarEAiVir^

Of ‘98

Delta Force Novalo^

04 '98

Descent III toplay

04 '98

Diablo II e&zrard

02 '99

Dominant Species Red Sterm

04 •98

Drakan Pqgnosis

Ql'99

Duke Nukem Forever IDRe^

04 '98

Dungeoo Keeper 2 GuHfrog/EA

04 '98

Earthworm Jim 3D Interplay

04 '98

ESPN National Hockey Night Rarkol

04 '98

ESPN NBA Tonight RaK^

04 '33

ESPN X-Games Pro Boarder Radicai

04 ■98

Expert Pool Psygrwis

Q1 ‘99

Extreme Warfare Red Orb

Q4‘98

European Air War UicroPtose

01 ‘98

Falcon 4i) IRuoRrose

04 -gs

Fallout 2 tmegilay

04 "gs

Fatal Abyss Segasofl

04 '38

Fighter Duel 2 kifogrames

02 '99

Fighter Squadron Aamskn

Q4'9a

Fighting Steel SSI

Ql'99

Final Countdown Impact

01 ■99

Hanker 2.0 SSI

Ql'99

Fleet Command lane’s^

0r99

Fivi aao:

Q4'98

Force Commander locasAns

03 '99

Gabriel Knight 3 Sierra

Qr99

Giants Irtterplay

01 ‘99

Global Domination Psygnosis

04 '98

Grim Fandango locasAiis . '

04 '98

Harpoon 4 SSI

02 '99

Heavy Gear 11 Actwaoi

04 ‘98

Heretic tlRj«i'AciMsion • ■"

Q4’98

Heroes of M&MIIMDO

04 '98

Hexplore Inlogrames :

04 ’98

Homeworld Sterra

01 '99

House of the Dead Sega

04 ‘98

Hype: Time Quest Ubi Soft

01 ‘98

Indiana iones/lnfemal Machine luoWls

02 '99

International Rally Championship THQ

04 '98

Interstate'BZAoivision

01 '99

Jack Nkklaus Golf Acbvtsiotr

Q4‘38

King's Quest Mask of Eternity Sierra

Q4‘93

Klingon Honor Guard UooProse

04*98

Kno^out Kings EA Sports

01 ’99

Lands of Lore 3 Westwood/EA

04 '98

Jagged Alliance 2 Sir-leUi

04 '98

Legend of the Blademasters Ibpcord

01 ‘99

Legend of the Five Rings Aontiai

04 ‘98

Luftwaffe Commander SSI

Madden NFL 99 EA

04 '98

v.CDmputergjming.(

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

READ

Welcome To

Blackstone

Asylum

Fasten your straight-jacket. It's time to immerse yourself in the chilling world of John Saul's
Blackstone Chronicles': An Adventure in Terror - the first collaborative effort
BETWEEN NY Times best-selling author John Saul and Legend Entertainment. Stunning 24-bit
artwork surrounds you in the evil that is Blackstone Asylum - where tortured
spirits from the past offer you the only hope of saving your missing family.

And your sanity. Bon appetit.

jjILEGEND

JOHN SAOL'S

www.Blackstone-Chronicles.com

in Saul's Blackstone Chronicles: An Adventure in Tenor (D199B Uindscaiie, Inc. All riiihts reserved. John Saul's name and likeness arc the properly ol John Saui,

The original novel 'The Siacksionc Chronicles" @1997 John Saul. Used under license by Mlndscape. Inc. in conjunction with Legend EniertainmenL
VJindovrs Is a regisiered irademark or trademark o< Mictosoll Corporation in the United Slates andror other countries. All oiher trademarks and
copyrtghis are the property pi their tespecirve holders.

Go to #191 @ www.comDuteraamina.cotn/infolink

Will You Be

Dressing

For (
Dinner? '

Jeff Gordon is pushing NASCAR racing to the extreme - shattering records and winning races at an
electrifying pace. And now, he’s climbing into the drivers’ seat of another lifelong passion; gaming. But
as co-designer of Jeff Gordon XS Racing, he’s putting more into the game than just a name. Instead,
Jeff is creating a unique and exciting racing experience unlilte anything you’ve ever seen. An extreme
racing experience that takes you into the future of speed, and leaves all other racing games behind.

Windows® 95

I PC CD-ROM I

Developed by

ASC Gnmos"’' Isn Irndcm.-irk ol American Soltworks Corporation. @ 1998 American
Sollworks Corporation. Jell Gordon® XS Racing'*^ is n Irndcmark of American Soltworks
Corporalton. ®1998JG MolorSporls inc. Developed by Rcai Sports. ©PepsiCo, Inc. 1998
@1995 PEG Limited Partnersbip and PEG 97 Limited Partnership. Windows® 95 is a
registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. The ratings icon is a trademark of the interactive
Digital Sollware Association.

Ail rights reserved.

mpioT]

li yttiDf'is

gpM nringj

Jeff Gordon

The Future of Racing Arrives March 1 999

Go to #116 @ www.comDuteraamina.com/infolink

www.ascgames.com

MechWarrior III MicoPiaH

q2 '99

Messiah

Q1 '99

MiG 29 Fulcnim OoAoK

QJ‘96

Moqiheus

Q4'98

Myth II: Soulblightei

QJ'9S

NASCAR Racing til E3p)?os>Ceniant

QJ'98

NFL Gameday 99 989Siudios

04 '98

NHL 99 FA

Q4'9S

North vs, South Inie'ecd.'e Magic

Q4'98

Oddwodd: Abe's Exodus QT

04 '95

Omiltfon Ddcs

Outcast Infogianie

02 '99

Pamer Elite Psj-gMsis

Q1 '99

Populous III: The Beginning EA

04 ‘93

Poweislide GT

Q4‘98

Piey 30 Reai^isGI

Q2 '99

Pro Pinball; Big Race USA En^e

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Professional Sports Car Racing Vrgin

04 “SS

Quest For Glory V Siena

04 '98

Quest For Glory V; Dragonfire S«;a

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RailfoadTycQon IIPooTop

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Rayman 2 UbiSoft

04 '98

Rebel Moon Revolution GT

04 '98

Redline Accc^

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Requiem 3D0

Ql'35

Return Fire IIR^d

04 '98

Return to Krondor Siena

04 '93

Revenant Eidos

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Road to Moscow I Magic

04 '93

SegaRally2Sega

04 '98

Settlers III Sice 6)te

04 '93

Shadowman Adainr

Shadowtun FA^

04 "98

Shattered Ught Simon & Schuster

01 'W

Shattered Reality LOinie<^ie

04 '38

Shogo ^<onol^th

Q4’9a

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centaurl Fuaxi&EA

04 '98

Sierra Sports Basketball Pro 99 Sieira

qi '98

Sierra Sports Footiiall Pro 99 Siara

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SimCrty 3000 Mads

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Slave 2ero Aaoiade

02 '99

Smart Games 3 Smart Games'HastKO

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Space Bunnies Must Die Ripco'd

Q4 93

Speed Tribes THQ

04 '98

StarConAcQ^

04 '98

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04 '98

StarSiege Seira

01 '98

StarSiege: Tices

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Starwulf lir'ense

Ql '99

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04 '93

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Sword & Sorcery

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Test Drive 5 Acccdade

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04 '98

Thief; Dark Project fute

04 '98

T. Clancy's Ruthless.com Red Storm Accolade QA '98

Tomb Raider III Eidos

04 '98

Tomorrow Never Dies UGM

Q4'98

Total Annihilation: Kingdoms Cacedog

Qr99

Trans-Am Racing '68*'72 G! Interacdie

04 '98

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04 '93

Ultra Fighters I Vagi:

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Uprising 2 3D0

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04 ‘98

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04 '98

Updates: cgwpipeline@zd.com

Galleon

Wargasm

ECTS

together the pieces of an
ancient magical sword, which
the game is named after.
Motion capture is being used
to make the game realistic
from a martial arts point of
view, with a World Karate
Champion used to create
Tarshi. Grotesque it certainly
is — one of the methods we
saw of dispatching an enemy
was to split him from head to
foot with a sword....

EldosKonfounding Factor

G alleon will be the first

game from Confounding Factor, the developer set up
by Core Design and TOMB RAIDER veterans Toby Guard
and Paul Douglas. As captain Rhama— explorer, trader,
and buccaneer — you're put at the helm of the clipper
Endeavor on a thrilling nautical adventure. Borrowing
more than a little from the Sinbad movies, you'll fight
off skeleton armies and pirate attacks, uncover mysteri-
ous shipwrecks, and gel involved in supernatural
shenanigans. Confounding Factor claims that Rhama will
be one of the
most agile
characters ever
created,
thanks to a
proprietary
animation
system that
allows for
ultra-realistic
movement.

Has Lara met
her match?

combat. But here Gremlin has
done something a little differ-
ent, enabling you to guide your
every sword stroke or string
together a series of moves
which makes fighting simple
and effective. Could this be
England's answer to ULTIMA?

Galleon

iniogrammcs

N ice name, groovy game. A
fast-paced, 3D combat game
that combines joint operations
between tanks, armored fighting
vehicles, and infantry. One of the
surprise hits of the show, it was
designed to show off DiD's next-
generation graphics engine. This is
the most impressive hybrid of
action and strategy we've seen
since BAnLEZONE.

Compiled by the chaps at PC
Gaming World (CGW's UK edition)
and America's own Denny Atkin.

F rom the designer of REALMS
OF THE HAUNTING comes a
classic RPG in which you play a
character reborn to take on the
old enemies who destroyed him
and now threaten the world. It
uses a top-down view which
shows off the intensely detailed,
3D-accelerated landscape to
good effect. The graphics are
incredible, and the gameplay
underneath is rock-solid. Quest,
exploration, and character inter-
action combine with magic and

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

ir.computergaming.c

Say hello to Microsoff' Sidewinder' Precision Pro and Game Pad. Your one-way ticket
to better play. Unbearably accurate and reliable, you'll command the game in a way
you've only dreamed about. Of course, buttons can be fully customized. And with
their ergonomic design, you'll find the buttons exactly where you want them. At
your fingertips and under your thumb. The perfect place to kick some serious butt.

PrecisionPro

0 1 998 McrciscA Corpoiation. Al ri^ (cserved. Mcroson and SideWindet nio eifficr
re^steied tradeiraAs ot bndcmaite cH MicrosoR Cuporaton n the United Stales
and other countries.

0 1998 Dectromc Ails. John Madden Foolbal iind EA SPORTS arc Iradumadis
or registered iradernarteOtBectrtnic Arts in thoU&andbrahCr countries. AIngte
reserved. Otloiitiy Uccnsod Product ol tlie Nalional Football Lcagiio Plnyets. O
1998 Players Inc. The PLAYERS INC loan is a rogislered trademark o( the NFL
Players. NFL UalotUls 0 1998 NFLP.

Want more? Visit microsoft.com/SideWinder

1 ^ 1 ^ 1 ' n

Experience the tension, thrills and 1

flnlv aulck reactions and sheer g^na

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speed of an arcade-style game.

skill wll see you through dte Pnlsh line.

Buy equipment and tune your
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www.segas 0 ft.com/planecra 2 y

199B SegaSoH Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. SegaSott, the SegaSoR logo. HEAT, HEAT.NET and
the HEAT.NET logo aro trademarks of SogaSoR Networks, Ina Plane Crazy is a trademark of Inner
Workings Ltd. Plane Crazy Game 0 1998 Inner Workings Ltd.Tlie Inner Workings logo is a registered
trademark In the UK and the European Union. Windows is a trademark of the MIcrosoR Corporation.
The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.

Go to #1 61 @ www.computergaming.com/infoiink

f^iiiAi. Racing _

Anyone can fly a plane in the
open skies. But only a razor-
sharp, thrill-hungry speed freak can
wing it at low altitude through a
gauntlet of canyons, cliffs and city
streets without becoming ground
meat. Crosswinds, down drafts and
a posse of other insane pilots
shooting power-downs up your
fuselage mean this is a race to the
finish! So come hungry. Come low.
Come fast...

Or don't come at all.

The Battle For Shelf Space

A Cool Quarter-Mil Helps Ensure You See That Game

T his Holiday season, as you await new

games with visions of cyborgs dancing in
your head, distributors are struggling des-
perately to put those games in front of
you. Each year there are many more new games
competing for about the same shelf space. Since
three-quarters of all games sold are purchased in
stores, and December sales can account for one-
fourth of a game company's revenue, all the
ingredients are there for an ugly fight.

"it's a competitive bloodbath," says Allan
Blum, chief operating officer at Gathering of
Developers. "I don't know of any other industry
that has this kind of environment." Blum refers
not only to the competition for shelf space, but
also the competition among retailers to under-
cut each other. "Most clothing retailers carry
different brands, but software stores all carry
the same thing," he says. "All they can do is try
to beat each other on price."

In their zeal to lure customers with lower
prices, major retailers often wind up cutting
their own throats, according to Ann Stephens,
veteran retail analyst at PC Data. "Retailers as a
whole are selling games at no markup, on
average. They’re using their best sellers as loss

December Game Sales

Year

PC Game Titles

Units Sold in Dec

Dec Revenue

Total Annual Revenue

Dec '92

1,139

3,623,552

$117,110,351

$375,660,339

Dec '93

1,315

4,384,174

$144,544,479

$636,667,875

Dec '94

1,835

4,694,400

$190,054,285

$808,011,857

Dec '95

2,266

7,018,760

$235,217,720

$914,741,525

Dec '96

2,420

8,958,603

$279,883,330

$1,072,306,763

Dec '97

3,150

11,751,269

$313,031,040

$1,293,621,614

Dec '98 (Est).

3,780

14,101,522

$344,334,144

$1,409,918,197

Source: PC Data

It's a competitive bloodbath. I
don't know of any other industry
that has this kind of environment

— Allan Blum, chief operating officer, Gathering of Developers

■

CCW Survey Here’s what you're blowing the most time on.

Last Month Months on Chart 1

StarCraft (Biisard/Cendant)

"t ■

Might and Magic Vi (3DO)

Quake ii (id Sdftware/Activksion)

Final Fantasy V(l (Eidos)

Age of Empires (Ensemble/Microsoft)

Diablo (Blizzard/Cendant)

Jedi Knight (LucasArts)

NASCAR 2 (Sierra/Cendant)

Unreal (GT)

10.

Jane's F-15 (Origin/EA) -

Based on a monthly survey mailed to CGW subscribers.

This differs from the readers' overall “iiuaUty ranking' in the Top 100

PC Data Best-sellers

Last Month Average Price I

StarCraft (Blizzard/Cendant)

$39

Deer Hunter (GT Interactive)

$20

Diablo (Blizzard/Cendant)

S21

Unreal (GT interactive)

S37

Rocky Mountain Trophy Hunter (GT interactive) 6

S18

Cabela's Big Game Hunter (Activision)

920

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Microsoft)

SSI

Myst(RedOrb)

S19

Final Fantasy Vil (Eidos)

$45

10.

Police Quest Swat 2 (Cendant) 5

The iop-selilag PC games as of August calculated by PC Data (Reston, VA).

$45

leaders, and taking budget software and making a
profit on it. Generally it's averaging out to zero."

How are they making money? Many haven't. In the
last five years, one-third of software retailers have
sought credit protection under Chapter 1 1 . And while
most big retailers have mail-order wings and online
sites, online, sales still represent a small fraction of
total units. According to Stephens, most people who
use mail order are buying expensive business apps.
The average game retail purchase is S30.

Retailers do, however, manage to make money.

Much of it comes from a special premium they charge
to shelve a game in quantity. This is gaming's dirty little
secret: nearly every game company pays hundreds of
thousands of dollars to make sure you see their title in
stores. All the major players pay in the range of
$50,000-75,000 per retailer for end-cap space during
December, according to numerous sources.

These fees, known as Market Development Funds
(MDF), are where the retailers are making money on
games, according to Stephens. "It's the grocery store
model. But there are a lot of problems with that
model— if a retailer isn't making money on titles,
there's no reason to care what they stock. That means
the publisher and retailer aren't playing the same
game anymore — they don't both have a mutual
interest in quality. The consumer in one way will suffer,
The buyer will get cheaper software, but he may not
get what he wants." — Kert Brown

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ♦ DECEMBER 1996

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YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR THE HOTTEST GAMES IN DEVELOPMENT

Half-Life

Brains, Beauty, and Brawn Could Make This the Best Single Player Shooter Yet

by Robert Coffey

I ith every other
f action title hol-
lowly promising
bloodier carnage,
prettier eye candy,
and scarier mon-
sters, what can a
game really do to
set itself apart from the pack?

How about delivering a com-
pelling story along with the may-
hem? How about creating a
believable, realistic world then dis-
torting it so wildly that the gamer
shares the protagonist's confusion,
surprise, and fear? How about cre-
ating a rich gaming environ-
ment loaded with interac-
tive objects and people
that, instead of being
simple props,
enrich and define
play? These are
the sort of
things that the
shooter genre
has been

THE GREAT
OUTDOORS
Just because
most of HALF-LIFE
is grounded in
reality doesn't mean
it's visually dull.

Sweeping outdoor locations
and spectacular explosions
help make it a graphically
rich game.

' GENRE: Action
; RELEASE DATE: Q4 '98
i DEVELOPER: Valve
PUBLISHER: Siena Studios

lacking, and it looks as if HALF-
LIFE is set to deliver them.

Plot Twists

The story behind the game sets
up its dizzying marriage of non-
stop action and narrative. You are
Gordon Freeman, a research scien-
tist at the top-secret Black Mesa

complex, a decommis-
sioned underground
missile base. During a
slightly less than rou-
tine day, an experi-
ment goes terribly
wrong, ripping a
cross-dimensional
portal to an alternate
universe, Unfortun-
ately, the creatures on
the other side of the
gateway have a keen
interest in interdimensional
real estate and a disquieting
propensity for violence.

Since monsters continually
enter the now-devastated com-
plex, you must make your way to
the surface— killing monsters;

CIA operatives sent to erase all
evidence of the incident (includ-
ing you); and government agents
planting explosives to destroy the
base. It’s not just your life at
stake: If the government succeeds
in blowing up the base, all those

HALF-LIFE gen-
erates a lot of
its characters
and immer-
siveness from
cinematic
grace notes
like this scien-
tist who is
desperately
trying to
revive this
guard.

nuclear warheads they've forgot-
ten will create some freshly Irra-
diated beachfront property in
Missouri.

While this sounds like a tradi-
tional "you against the world"
shooter plot, HALF-LlFE's execution
sets it apart. The game opens with
a long tram ride as you enter
Black Mesa. Movie-style credits
flash by as you descend into the
complex, riding through deep
canyons, cavernous interior stor-
age areas, and winding tunnels.
When the credits end the game
begins, but not with the bullet-
spraying bang of other first-person
shooters, instead, you leisurely
make your way through the facili-
ty, chatting with fellow scientists
and perhaps dropping by the cof-
fee room on your way. After you
don your HEV environmental pro-
tection suit you make your way to
the lab. Security guards engage
you in small talk as they open air-
locked chambers. HALF-LIFE spends

[gik COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

^.computergamlng.com

HALF-LIFE

HEY MAN, NICE SHOT HALF-UFTs
NPCs are intelligent and worth
talking to. Security guards can be
recruited to follow you and help
blow away monsters like this
mutant doctor. .

SPLATTER FEST HALF-LlFE's environment
is highly interactive: Blood stains walls
and objects, and boxes are destructible.
This shot also shows you the weapon
inventory system — note the guns are
real-world items.

its first 10 minutes of gameplay
creating a believable, though
slightly fantastic, world.

The payoff comes after the
dimension-shredding accident.
With Black Mesa torn apart by
explosions and rampaging mon-
sters, you head for the surface
seeking rescuers. It's no easy trip
since the familiar, almost mun-
dane, world of just moments ago
has been irrevocably altered into
an unknown, chaotic interior land-
scape — a mangled maze of col-
lapsed walls, plummeting eleva-
tors, and wildly firing lasers.
Everyone you see is gripped by
confusion and desperation —
frightened colleagues piteously
plead for help, a doctor desper-
ately administers CPR to an
unconscious guard, a dying guard
futilely reaches for a first aid sta-
tion. With all this terror before
you, you must face the first
monster — and you're unarmed.

HALF-LlFE sustains this world-
out-of-balance tone with a seem-
ingly endless series of highly cine-
matic, scripted events. Enter a
corridor and watch desperate scien-
tists attempt to flee through an air
duct, only to be spat out like gristle
by an unseen monster. Turn a cor-
ner and witness a security guard
empty his gun into an alien before
he's killed. Wails blow out, floors
collapse, and monsters tear through
doors to attack you. To maintain
the flow of events, level transitions

are loaded seamlessly, and you can
go back and forth freely between
them. Gone are the artificial level
barriers of other games.

Developments in the plot are
revealed in gameplay instead of in
rendered cut-scenes. When the
Marines initially arrive, the scien-
tists rush toward them, certain

that their saviors have arrived.
They are then cut down in a hail
of automatic gunfire that lets you
know the supposed good guys
are, in fact, very, very bad. It's a
particularly effective method of
keeping the gamer deep in the
game while creating the same
sense of panic and confusion that
the protagonist would be feeling.

Foreshadowing is also used, with
a sinister looking, briefcase-toting

corporate guy who frequently pops
up on the periphery of the action in
early parts of the game.

A Whole New World

While other shooters may thrill
you with pure visceral action, they
rarely suspend your disbelief.
Half-Life bends over backward to

create a believable world, and
nowhere is that more apparent
than in its use of NPCs. More than
simple window dressing, the peo-
ple in Half-Life are as knee-deep
in the game's mayhem as you are,
and they react to what happens
around them. Kill a couple of secu-
rity guards just for laughs and any
scientists who witness it will
cower in fear of you. Guards
aggressively protect themselves

DEAD AGAIN With smart,
tough enemies like this assas-
sin, you can expect to experi-
ence a lifeless, floor-level
view of the game frequently.

from enemies; this is especially
great since you can enlist their aid.
On more than one occasion, I had
a little squad of armed security
personnel flanking me and firing
away as I took on monsters; sever-
al times they saved my skin by
taking out monsters who were
sneaking up behind me. Stop mov-
ing for awhile and the guards will
start talking to each other about
their chances for survival.

All this realism is great, but it
wouldn't be a shooter without tar-
gets. Never fear: HALF-LIFE serves
up plenty of uglies to shoot. Valve
isn't tipping its hand too much on
this, but the limited build we
played was stocked with skittering
crab creatures, mutated scientists,
houndeyes (doglike critters that
attack in packs and generate dam-
aging shock waves), marines,
attack helicopters, and acid-spitting

JTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1996,

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COMPU

Bdosliueractivs, Tomb Raider, UnCrott smi her liiienessar«VBdeinsriistrfBdo$,Pte.(B19S6Eid«.30fx and the^ibt iogosm registered tFadomsrksoODbcinteraciive I

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Wreak havoc through snow, wind
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HALF-LIFE

Q&A With Valve's
Managing Director,
Gabe Newell

Q: Half-life's action and story
play out in a cinematic fashion.

Did any films influence or inform
HALF-LIFE?

A: Originally, HALF-LIFE was
inspired by a Stephen King
novella. The Mist. About the only
things in the game that really
remain are the combination of
horror and technology shared
between the two, and the
designs of the Bull Squid and
blind tentacle in the Abandoned
Silo area. There's a lot of Jackie
Chan in the Assassin character,
and there are bits from
Full Metal Jacket and
Aliens in the game.

Q: Most story-
telling is an

linear process. ^B||9

Why do you

think no one has

capitalized on the T

essentially linear

first-person shooter

model to tell an involving story?

A: We're not entirely sure since
both the press and fans have
been asking for this for a long
time. I think what's happened is
that the amount of work neces-
sary to carry it off is so daunting,
that even when people set out to
integrate a strong storyline, they
end up giving in to time pressure
along the way and skipping
everything it takes to make that
possible. To put that In perspec-
tive, the script for HALF-LIFE is
about twice as long as a typical
movie script and doesn't include
all of the synthesized audio

salamander-type
creatures.

Valve has put a lot
of work into the mon-
ster's A! to make them
even more challenging.

Marines use cover fire
and hide behind
objects, houndeyes are
most effective in packs,
and some monsters use
sound and scent to
track you. Monsters
have a survival instinct
and will run and hide
if they think they're losing a
battle. And just as your cadre
of protective security
^ guards can follow you
from level to level,
i your enemies will
I hunt you across
I levels as well.

* Weapons are
predominantly real-
world items. Early
^ weapons include a crow-
bar, .357 magnum, shotgun,
grenades, and machine gun.
Most weapons have both a
primary and secondary firing
characteristic; for example, the
shotgun's primary attack fires
just one chamber, while the
secondary mode unloads both
rounds. Later in the game,
you'll get a rocket-propelled
grenade that you can steer
after firing, organic weapons
based on the alien technology,
and, eventually, some of the
surviving scientists will build

OOPS. I ACCIDENTALLY TORE
REALITY Sure it’s pretty, but this is
the tragic experiment that lets all
those nasty interdimensional mon-
sters into our world.

you a powerful, BFG-type
weapon.

Under the Hood

Valve initially licensed the
original QUAKE engine but has
extensively modified it. Now.
more than 70 percent of the
engine is Valve's own code.

The result is a dynamic, inter-
active world. Surfaces reflect
damage, damp walls grow
moss over time, and destruc-
tible objects are liberally sprin-
kled throughout levels. Though
not as flashy as UNREAL, HALF-
LIFE has some brilliant 3D-
accelerated effects, including
spectacular explosions, beam
effects, and dynamic lighting.

Using a skeletal animation
system that morphs the textures
mapped onto a creature, HALF-
LIFE is able to create remarkably
smooth, lifelike animations with
scores more frames of animation
than sprite-based games. Mon-

generated during the game.

Q: One of the coolest things in
HALF-LIFE is the ability to interact
with other people in the game —
to get scientists to heal you, to
have security personnel help you
fight. And while there's also
interaction with the environ-
ment, the game path is basically
set — your actions add flavor to
the game but don't have any
real, tangible effect. With flight
sims now featuring dynamic
campaigns, when do you think
we might see a dynamic shooter,
in which the consequences of our
actions actually affect the
progress of the story/game path?
is this even possible?

HIT SQUAD Later in the game,
you'll face menacing monster
teams like these guys. Fortunately
for you, by then you'll have the
high-tech weaponry necessary to
take them out

sters can move discrete
body parts, which means
that they turn their
heads to watch you as
they run away or draw
and fire weapons while
they're on the move.

For action gamers
who've longed for a
shooter with an excit-
ing, immersive single-
player game, HALF-LIFE
seems set to deliver the
goods. Barring yet
another missed ship-
ping date, you can
expect it just in time for
the holidays. 333

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

A: I was talking with Warren
Spector at ECTS about this topic.

I was talking about how we had
this seamless world without any
explicit levels, and he started
laughing at me. He said some-
thing like "I bet you have to give
people a lot of explicit structure,
and you're eliminating nonlinear
elements in your designs as you
playtest." And I said, “Yeah," and
he laughed some more and said,
“Been there, done that." With
DEUX EX, Warren's being even
more structured with the player's
experience. The hard part is to
give players a lot of freedom
without them feeling that they
are missing all of the cool stuff,
that the freedom they have isn't
trivial, and that they have a sense
they're progressing through the
game. I think it is certainly possi-
ble to do this, but it's probably
going to take a magnitude more
of content to pull it off, plus a
pretty thoughtful design.

Q: While HALF-LIFE will support
TEAM FORTRbs 2 after It's
released, what other multipiay
options will we see in HALF-LIFE?
What is going to set its standard
deathmatch apart?

A: There are two things we've
been working on: making HALF-
LIFE multiplayer less frustrating
and making it more fun. The first
thing we are addressing by mak-
ing it easier for people to find
and get into games and by look-
ing at weapons design issues to
make multipiay less lag depen-
dent. We're making Half-Life
multiplayer more fun by having a
variety of game modes and game
rules — beyond just deathmatch
and cooperative play. LOOT is one
of the games that Dario Casali
has designed; it's sort of a cross
between capture the flag and
hide-and-seek.

Q: What’s next for Valve?

A: Our big focus is going to be on
getting TEAM FORTRESS out the
door, then there are some tech-
nology issues we want to look at
for a bit. We're actually Itching to
begin work on the next genera-
tion of games.

Q; Finally, who's that evil, corpo-
rate guy In the suit?

A: You won't find that out for
quite a while in the game. But he
Is a pretty evil bastard.

www.computergaming.com

TAKING THE HIGH GROUND While terrain in MYTH II will be even
sharper-looking than that in the first game, your need to exploit
it to your advantage hasn't changed.

Myth II: Soulblighter

by JoeVallina

S omeday, MYTH: THE
FALLEN LORDS will be
recognized as the
beginning of the end of
2D real-time strategy
games, It was Bungle's
first big PC hit (the
company was formally
know for its Macintosh games,
such as MARATHON), and it was
also the first real-time strategy
game to take full advantage of a
3D engine, letting you swoop
down and around to view the
beautifully rendered gameworld.

Of course, that's not to say that
everything you saw in that glori-
ous 3D imagery was pleasant. Au
contraire, visions of dwarves
chucking molotov cocktails Into a
massed group of zombies and

subsequently creating little piles
of charred hamburger can hardly
be called picturesque, But gamers
reveled in the gore, and reveled
further in the way that MYTH's 3D
world brought them closer to real
combat than ever before.

Well, my fellow heroes, MYTH II:
SOULBLIGHTER adds many new
features to MYTH's 3D universe
and, if all continues as planned, it
could pound the final nail in 2D
strategy's coffin.

The story is set 60 years after
your character kills Balor in MYTH.
Soulblighter, one of the original
Fallen Lords, has enlisted some
humans as well as some really
nasty creatures. He wants a new
war, and guess what? You're just
the hero to give it to him.

In the demo build I played of
MYTH II, five new single-player
scenarios were working (along
with two multiplayer levels),
all designed to show off the
game's new features. The mis-
sions I played included assassina-
tions, search and destroy mis-
sions, protection (protecting a

building or object) missions, and
escort missions.

Burn, Baby, Burn

Far and away, MYTH ll's great-
est addition is the use of fire. As
promised, your archers can now
use flaming arrows to start fires
that can encircle your enemies. By
pressing the T key (used to acti-
vate a unit's special ability), your
archers' normal arrows switch to
flaming projectiles that set the

grass on fire wherever they land.
Units take damage from the fire
as it spreads across the ground.

But be careful: Your units are just
as vulnerable to the flames, so
you'll have to watch out not to
get caught in your own trap.

Bungie has also added animat-
ed polygonal objects, such as
drawbridges and giant moving
wooden gates. These features will
be used to a great extent in MYTH
II, and they add a new level of
realism. In one scenario, you must
escort a peasant through an
enemy-infested forest to the
safety of a town fort before the
gates close for good. In another,
you must assail a castle with a
working drawbridge. Get caught
with too few units after it closes
and you can expect to have
arrows raining down on your
head from the tops of the walls.

Magic will play a part in MYTH
II, as well. For example, after you
successfully get all of your units to
the drawbridge at the castle, you
become an invisible dwarf who
must sneak in a back door and up
to the ramparts to destroy the
winch that opens the drawbridge.
After it is destroyed, your men can
charge in and start chopping down
everything in sight. Magic-users in
MYTH II will have unlimited magic
powers, but the catch is that they
have a "mana" bar, which is

Myth //; Soulblighter

GENRE; Strategy
RELEASE DATE; Q4'98
DEVELOPER: Bungie Software
PUBLISHER; Bungie Software

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

i'.computergaming.t

depleted each time
they use a spell. (It
will gradually
replenish over
time.)

One other super-
cool addition to the
MYTH universe is
indirect artillery
fire. One minute,
your troops are
trudging along
minding their own
business, the next
they are chop suey.

This, of course, is
thanks to a giant
explosive charge
that just dropped
out of the sky. To be
fair, you do hear
the telltale whine of a falling bomb right
before the shell impacts, so you can get out
of the way — if you're quick enough, that is.

Under My Control

Bungie has also improved the game's
interface. For example, the horrible
"mouse-flick" unit-facing control has been
eliminated. Now, to have a unit face in a
certain direction you simply hold the
mouse button down and point the arrow
under the unit in the desired direaion.

MYTH ll's graphics will be enhanced from
those in MYTH. For starters, Bungie says
that there will be twice as many frames of
animation for the units, and the terrain
mesh will be four times as fine as before.

All this should work together to provide a
much more immersive environment.

There will be several new characters in
MYTH II. Five of these were in the demo I
played: mortar dwarves, heron guards,
Stygian Knights, mauls, and warlocks. Out
of the five, for me, the mortar dwarves
were the coolest. They look pretty much
like normal dwarves, except that they use a
mortar to launch their explosive charges
over long distances. For more details on
the other new characters, see the sidebar
on this page.

Making the World Your Own

Bungie is also including two game editors
in the MYTH II package. Bowing to the
wishes of the masses (who had already
used homemade, hacked editors to create
custom MYTH missions), the company will
Include not only a terrain-building editor,
but a full character-building editor as well.

Fear, the character editor, is incredibly
detailed (Bungie says that 90 percent of the
game's code can be modified with the appli-
cation). Want your archers to shoot magic
arrows? No problem. Want your dwarves to
turn into chickens? You can make it so. In
fact, if you know anything about game
mechanics, you can use this editor to tweak
any unit and have it do anything you want.
No kidding, if the editor that is released is
as powerful as the one in the demo, the
online MYTH II hacks will be truly scary.

The terrain editor. Loathing, is the most
detailed level editor I've ever seen, giving
you full control over virtually every aspect
of the gameworld. Loathing allows you to
be as general or as detailed as you want,
letting you adjust the lay of the land in
minuscule proportions or use the broad tool
to build up a mountain range in one fell
swoop. Wanna-be levellords will be in
heaven, and the number of quality home-
grown levels on the Net will be enormous.
Personally, I can't wait to see what new
hacks and levels the demented minds of
C6W readers will come up with using these
two incredible tools.

As with the original MYTH, a 3D card will
pretty much be a must for this game if you
want it to run smoothly and look good. The
current build supports 3Dfx and Rendition
chipsets, and Bungie promises support for
DirectSD in the final game. If you buy your
3D card now, you'll have it in place when
MYTH II ships later this year.

If Bungie continues along the same lines
as what I've seen so far. MYTH II should sur-
pass MYTH and take strategy gaming even
higher.

MYTH H's New Units

Heron Guard After Balor
defeated the ancient
empire Muirthemne, the
elite guard donned peni-
tent robes and became the
Journeymen of the first
MYTH game. But now in the war against
Soulblighter, they have returned. Heron
guards are effective combat units, skillfully
wielding two swords. At press time. Bungie
was still undecided if they'd retain any of
their former magic*using skills.

Maul Soulblightef's foot
soldiers, mauls are punish-
ing, medium-heavy melee
units. Deadlier than ghols
but not as bad as trow,
these mysterious monsters
deal their damage via a brutal, club-swing-
ing attack. They are living units, not undead,
and they attack in punishing packs.

Mortar Dwarf The elite of
the dwarven units, the
mortar dwarves are devas-
tating, long-range forces
able to launch their explo-
sive charges over great
distances. Great for laying down withering
barrages to soften up ground troops, mortar
dwarves can also take down castle walls
and other structures.

Stygian Knight Twisted
necromancers are respon-
sible for the Stygian
Knight. A magically ani-
mated suit of armor, the
Stygian Knight is a medi-
um melee unit with a
definite advantage over the average
warrior. They are not to be taken lightly.

Warlock Mysterious, shad-
owy characters on the
periphery of the war, the
warlocks have chosen to
fight on the side of the liv-
ing. While their motives are
unclear, their effectiveness
is not — ^the warlocks' fireball attack harms
everyone and everyfiiing it touches. Unable
to engage in hand-to-hand combat, warlocks
defend themselves with a confusion spell
that causes their enemies to impotently
attack the air.

i^.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECgMBgfi 199B ^

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■ He went 92 YARDS, BROKE TWO
TACKLES, JOKED ONE CORNER AND BLEW
THE NUMBERS OFF THE FREE SAFETY.
C’MON, LET THE GUY DANCE.

Railroad Tycoon II

Pop Top Pulls Sid's Masterpiece Out of the Can

AREA OF EFFECT Zooming out
over the grain belt, you see
the number of small towns
that spring up along the life-
giving rail line. A major city
like Edinburgh, however, func-
tions as a trade hub and indus-
try center for England and
Ireland, as shown by the vari-
ous buildings dotted around
the railyard.

by Terry Coleman

M ike Myers may not
be a genius on the
same scale as
Charlie Chaplin, but
he certainly has a
good sense of tim-
ing. Myers’ Austin
Powers: Inter-
national Man of Mystery is in
many ways the quintessential
movie for the near-millennium
because it allows you to totally
immerse yourself in good-
natured retro chic. With the
current deluge of remakes in
every creative medium from TV
to film to books, it's hardly a
surprise that computer games
are also rapidly trying to rein-
vent the wheel— though the
PC equivalent of Austin Powers
has yet to be made.

Channeling Sid I

Even Sid Meier is vulnerable, I
contracts and licenses being I

what they are, to having his I

classic works reinterpreted by I

other designers. When you look I

at the vast catalogue of games I

by Sid Meier, you’d expect
PIRATES! to be redone or maybe
for there to be a new stealth
fighter game, but RAILROAD
TYCOON? After all, you don't build
railroad stations and immediately
start pumping out hundreds of
railway cars, smashing them up
against your enemies' trains in
the center of the map (although
that might have a certain guilty
pleasure appeal).

Well, RAILROAD TYCOON isn't in
the CGWHali of Fame solely for
nostalgia: it's an engaging game

remembered as the Man Who
Saved HEROES OF MIGHT &

MAGIC from self-destruction. A
low-budget product, HEROES, and
its flashier sequel, HEROES OF
MIGHT AND MAGIC II, turned out
to be two of New World Com-
puting's biggest hits in years.
When MicroProse, evidently in
one of its desperate attempts to
generate cash flow, started shop-
ping around some of its legacy
titles, Steinmeyer jumped at the
chance to remake one of his
favorite games.

The Real RAILROAD
TYCOON Deluxe

What you notice first about
RAILROAD TYCOON II are the vastly
improved graphics, which have
traditionally been a weak point of

railroad games. Sure, MicroProse
released RAILROAD TYCOON
DELUXE — upgraded to stunning
VGA!— about three years ago,
but RAILROAD TYCOON II is the
way Sid would have wanted this
game to look. Without requiring a
3D card, the design team at Pop
Top has managed to create a
vibrant 3D world of track and rail-
way cars, along with a beautiful
cross-country landscape that ele-
vates RAILROAD TYCOON II above
the quaint artificiality of model
railroading. If you've ever tried to
carve trees out of green foam,
you'll appreciate the variety of
saplings and towering elms that
spring from nearly every outdoor
frame of this game.

The 3D in this game is now
more akin to that of TOTAL

Age of SimRail

As in the original, you start with
a certain amount of capital and
attempt to build a railroading
empire. After you clear away
ground and get buildings erected.

that, when released almost a
decade ago, put a new twist on
train management. And it was
every bit as unique and almost as
addictive as CIVILIZATION. Given
the game's classic status, it's fair to
ask who would be designing the
sequel — since not just anyone is
worthy of carrying Sid's gym bag.

Enter Phil Steinmeyer who, like
science fiction and comics author
Peter David, does his best work
in other people's worlds.
Steinmeyer will forever be

ANNIHILATION than MYTH, which
is a good thing given the level of
detail. Even with a Pentium II 400,
it would be difficult on a scale as
large as that of RAILROAD TYCOON
I! to run multiple trains and sta-
tions in a MYTH-style environment
with any kind of frame-rate, much
less have any processor band-
width left for the multi-level Al.
What's more, you can actually use
the 3D technology for more than
eye candy. The entire 3D world
can be rotated 360 degrees like a
hand-held map, complete with
multiple zoom levels — very help-
ful when you're trying to carve a
different rail route through nearby
mountains.

Railroad Tycoon //

GENRE: Strategy
RELEASE DATE: Q4 '98
DEVELOPER: Pop Top Software
PUBLISHER: Gathering ofOevelopere

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

iputergaming.c

you buy your choice of railway cars
and start laying track. You build
water towers, sanding towers, and
roundhouses to keep your trains up
and running in top condition. And
like any resource management
game, RAILROAD TYCOON II requires
that you make a lot of tough deci-
sions because, as you progress far-
ther into the game, there are rarely
enough resources to take care of
every train. All of this is actually a
great deal of fun. And If you turn
the computer opponent options
way down, this part of RAILROAD
TYCOON II plays a lot like SlMClTY
with boxcars— right down to the
familiar bulldozer button on the
interface.

The designers have come up
with a clever gimmick to show
the importance of railways in this
era. A given railway in RAILROAD
TYCOON II has an area of effect:
Basically, the more time and
money you put into a station, the
wider its influence on the sur-
rounding area. This realistically
shows how many towns of the
United States came into being in
the mid-1800s simply because
they were on rail lines. It also
requires that you invest more
resources in larger cities, such as
Chicago or New York, or risk los-
ing business and money to a
competitor. Essentially, you are in

the job of
transporting
goods and
passengers
from one
area to
another. The
farther,
faster, and
more reli-
ably that
you can pro-
vide this
transporta-
tion, the
more money
you rack up.

Once you
get through
the excel-
lent tutori-
als and
move on to
the main
game, you must amass $25 mil-
lion to win — a hefty fortune
indeed for the mid-19th century.

This brings us to the most
enjoyable aspect of RAILROAD
TYCOON 11: the devious computer
opponents that you face. These
are modeled after the great rob-
ber barons, such as Cornelius
Vanderbilt, and they are quite
adept at making your victory con-
ditions difficult to reach. When-
ever one of these Al gentlemen is

near, rest assured that he will lay
his track in such a manner that
you must either link up to his rail
line — costing you a portion of
your profits as his fee — or force
you to find an alternate route
that could end up being prohibi-
tively expensive.

If they can't best you on the
physical rail system, the robber
barons will try to corner the stock
market. Buying and selling stocks
in RAILROAD TYCOON II is more

involved than in the Sid Meier
original, but it also offers you
more gamepiay options. In addi-
tion to buying and selling your
own company-issued stock, you
may leap into margin buying,
short-selling, and even investing
in other companies.

From Steam to Bullets

In addition to the traditional
Classic Age of Steam Trains in
1 9th century North America,
RAILROAD TYCOON II also covers
the development of trains
throughout the 20th century.
We're not sure yet how a bullet
train of 2001 will be modeled
since this was still in develop-
ment at press time. But we do like
the mix of campaigns, which
includes rails across England, the
failed attempt to build a trans-
African railway, and the economic
realities of Amtrak-iike businesses
in the modern United States. •

If you’ve ever enjoyed board-
games like Eurorails or 1830, this is
your game — especially since it
supports LAN and Internet play.
RAILROAD TYCOON II is one of the
best options for long, addictive
winter gaming, because it gives a
fresh perspective on a classic that
just happens to be the antithesis of
the "me-too" syndrome. K'i'.’J

v.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998,

Microsoft

Introducing Microsoft

Combat Flight Simulator.

With the same stunningly realistic flying
experience Flight Simulator is known for,
only this time it's the 1940's and there's
a war on. Join the Allied or Axis forces,
choose your fighter, and fly missions in the
Battle of Britain and the Battle over Europe.

But don't expect a sight-seeing trip.
Sure, the Eiffel Tower, Royal Albert Hall
and other historically accurate landmarks
are there in heart-stopping 3-D graphics.
Unfortunately, with black smoke pouring
through the shattered cockpit of your
P-47D you won't see much.

And if that isn't thrilling enough, bring
in thousands of planes from the Internet and
engage in deadly dogfights over scenery
imported from Microsoft Flight Simulator.

That's not all. Combat Flight Simulator also
supports multiplayer and force feedback
technology. So when you pull G's attacking
the enemy, and the engine of your Spitfire
cuts out, you'll know just how it feels.

After all, nothing beats the feeling of
flying a historic WWII fighter. Except, of
course, filling it full of lead and watching it
plummet pitifully to the ground. Collect your
orders and find out how Microsoft Flight
Simulator owners can get a S10 rebate at
www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs

Enemy Infestation

Ripcord's Intergalactic Bug Hunt Could BeX-COM's Successor

by Robert Coffey

lien menaces and real-
time combat have one
big thing in com-
mon — both are
overused in today's
strategy titles. That's
not to say these are
I bad things; on the con-
trary, if these ideas didn't have
some real appeal they wouldn't
keep cropping up. It's just that
too many games can't execute
interstellar war and ticking-dock
combat in a fresh or innovative
way. ENEMY INFESTATION hopes to
change all that.

Illegal Aliens

Taking place well in the future,
the game opens with millions of
alien pods desperately fleeing a
dying planet in the hope of find-
ing a new world to call their own.
While most of the pods fail to
survive the trip, a few land on a
planet colonized by mankind in
order to feed a starving Earth.

With numerous settlements on the
planet's surface as well as vast
underwater farms, it seems like
the perfect place for the mysteri-
ous Mantis race to wreak their
particular brand of terror.

Taking place from an isometric
perspective that's part X-COM and
part CRUSADER, ENEMY
INFESTATION (El) charges the
gamer with controlling small
squads to combat the alien threat.
Most of the game takes place In
and around various installations
on the planet, including polar ice-
mining facilities, research centers,
and underwater farms. Unlike the
rather cookie-cutter locales in the

ENEMY INFESTATION

GENRE: Strategy
RELEASE DATE: Q4 98
DEVELOPER: Clochvotks Entertainment
PUBLISHER; Ripcord Games

TO PROTECT AND SERVE Missions definitely encourage you to
kill aliens. But the real focus of most missions will be on larger
goals, such as protecting tills scientific team while they conduct
vital research.

provide characters with new
knowledge, all for the price of
reading a book. For instance, sol-
diers are good at shooting, hand-
to-hand combat and little else. But
should your standard military
grunt find a bookcase housing
medical information, he'll be able
to heal others as long as he holds
on to the book. In a game where
your units take as much punish-
ment as they do
in El, having
such an ability
is a tremendous
asset.

El's mission
goals include
rescues,
searches, and
fact-finding for-
ays into devas-
tated facilities.
This kind of vari-
ety should pro-
vide a refresh-
ing and satisfy-
ing change from
the "kill every-
thing" expedi-
tions of other titles (although you
can certainly expect plenty of
that). For example, one early

X-COM series, El levels are pre-
rendered and showcase some
truly inventive touches, including
interior beaches and gardens pro-
vided for the personnel's recre-
ation and enjoyment.

The bulk of each crisis site is
hidden until your team enters spe-
cific rooms. At that point the roof
basically disappears and you have
full access to the area. Roofs don't

pop back in after you leave, but
the rooms do become shrouded
with a grayed-out fog-of-war
effect. As a game device, it should
be effective, adding a sense of
niggling doubt when you revisit
accessed areas. Has the previously
clear room been filled with new
hostiles? Is your team in any
shape to deal with a threat?

Character Counts

Unlike other games where
every character is a virtual killing
machine. El will stick you with
characters that are next to use-
less in a firefight. But each will
serve a purpose: You'll have doc-
tors for healing, mechanics to
repair critical machinery, biolo-
gists to gather samples and
develop viral weaponry, techni-
cians to unseal airlock doors, and
more. With missions often having

a lengthy checklist of goals, each
member of your team (up to 1 2-
men) should play a vital role in
every mission's success. Even a
basically useless, cowardly bar-
tender can be an asset by carry-
ing the wounded to healing beds,
and thus allowing your other
forces to focus on the mission.

While characters all come with
their own abilities, there will be

opportunities to expand their
expertise. These will come in
the form of bookcases that will

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■DECEMBER 1998

ipiJtergarning.com

ROACH MOTEL As the alien menace grows, your installations will be aawling with the evil Mantis.

mission asked me to repair the
environment suit station, scrounge
up some weapons, exit the space
station to retrieve a tissue sample
from a pod, analyze the sample to
develop a virus, then modify some
fire extinguishers to dispense the
virus. After that, it was time to
wipe out a whole nest of aliens.

Tell Me What to Do

A rather straightforward,
mouse-driven interface will let you
issue orders and direct troops.

One impressive feature is the abil-
ity to construct a complex series
of waypoints by simply holding
down the "Shift" key while click-
ing. Even actions can be dictated
in this manner, making it possible
for you to direct a soldier to walk
through several rooms, pick up a
gun, recharge it, open a door, go
up an elevator, and attack a spe-
cific alien.

The only interface stumbling
block I ran into in the beta ver-
sion I played was actually getting
control of individual units. El's
narrow corridors and crowded
rooms often made it difficult to
click on a specific unit, and the
unit portraits in the interface bar
were similarly tiny. Hopefully this
will change before the game
ships. Fortunately, both individual
and grouped units can be bound
to hot-keys.

You can give standing orders
such as "guard" or "fight" to
direct a unit's behavior when

armed or under-armed and each
character can carry just a single
weapon, weapon management
turns into a real juggling act.
Alleviating a bit of this stress is a
handy interface item that lets you
know if there are any undiscov-
ered weapons or items in a mis-
sion and, if so, how many.
Unfortunately, it stops short of
telling you where to find them —
that's up to you.

Gamers who found the last X-
COM game's lack of multiplayer
support disappointing will be
happy to know El will support mul-
tiplayer games out of the box. Up
to four players are supported in
cooperative mode only, so forget
about squaring off against your
friends. With any player capable of
controlling any unit in the game, it
will be interesting to see how this
works in practice. Still, it's an idea
whose time has clearly come.

ENEMY INFESTATION shows real
signs of promise. In the beta ver-
sion I played it was apparent that
someAl tweaking still needed
to be done. But the rest of the
game seemed pretty solid —
except the voice-acting. We can
only hope that the voice-acting I
heard was a temporary fix until
Ripcord got around to hiring
some real actors. Slated for
release in time for the holidays,

El might just turn out to be a
pleasant surprise on the crowded
real-time strategy front,

aliens appear. Particularly useful
and entertaining is the "hide"
order — perfect for ensuring that
your weak medics and physicists
cower behind recharging stations
at the first sign of trouble. With
many of the battles taking you by
surprise, you'll need to make use
of these standing orders to pro-
tect your teams and just general-
ly stay on your toes. More than
once I thought I was safe and
relaxed my guard only to be set
upon by clawing packs of aliens.
While El doesn't let you create
formations, you will have to
properly place units in a room to
provide adequate defense in case
of an ambush.

Arms and Your Men

Much of the weaponry you'll
be using will be unfamiliar to you
so you'll have to try it out in
combat to determine its effec-

tiveness. This is
a good thing
when you find a
killer ray gun;
it's a bad thing
when the gas
tank you're
using helps the
aliens multiply.
Weapon man-
agement will
also play a
large part in the
game. Several

weapons carry
finite amounts of ammo, forcing
you to find more lest you start lit-
erally kicking alien butt. Fully
recharging energy weapons typi-
cally takes a while. Since you fre-
quently begin missions either un-

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almost feels like you're watching
an actual NBA game. The way the
players do crossovers, pivots, and
other moves adds to the feeling of
controlling lifelike players.

When the announcer starts off a
game, you see your players stream-
ing out of the locker room, high-
fiving each other, jogging gingerly
up to center court, or rotating their
arms for last-minute stretches. And,
of course, the animation is really
nice for the lay-ups and dunks.

While many of the dunks in
LIVE 99 look similar to those in

previous versions of the game,
they're even more detailed this
year. You'll see Ostertag hanging
for a few seconds on the basket,
swinging left and right a little
and then dropping down to the
ground, if you go for a replay,
you'll even see his mouth open
and his face turn into a visage of
determination — thanks to the
more detailed engine. And when
he finishes a particulariy good
dunk, you'li see him celebrate by
waving his hands in the air and
pumping his fist.

Lockout Be Damned,

EA Sports Is Set to Release
Another Outstanding Game

By Elliott Chin

A s we go to press this

month, the NBA lockout
is stiil standing firm,
and the beginning of
the season is in serious
jeopardy. So why don't
we care? Maybe
because we’ve been
playing a beta of NBA LIVE 99, EA
Sports' latest version of its great
basketball franchise. NBA LIVE's
blend of fast action and sports sim-
ulation over a hidden mass of stats
is an award-winning combination
that has won over many fans,
including me. As recently as a few

NBA Live 99

GENRE; Sports
RELEASE DATE; Q4 '98
DEVELOPER: EA Sports
PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts

years ago I wasn't much of a
sports game fan, but one play of
NBA LIVE 96 and I was hooked. The
fast action roped me in, and the
rest of the game's polish and depth
kept me a fan forever.

In most respects, NBA LIVE 99
stays true to previous editions of
NBA LIVE and, on the face of it,
doesn't play all that differently.
However, a better engine, greater
graphics detail, an enhanced AI,
and several other gameplay
tweaks have elevated this game
to a new level.

Beautiful Lay-ups

The first thing you notice about
NBA LIVE 99 is the improved
graphics. The animation and
motion capture for the players on
screen is amazing. While not quite
as fluid as the animation in FIFA 98
or the upcoming FIFA 99, NBA LIVE
99's animation is so good that it

v.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998,

NBA LIVE 99

add assists or rebounds. So when
you go for a three-point play and
miss, it's now more likely that
you'll have a guy under the basket
to tip in the ball. 1 also noticed that
the tendency to foul too much at
the end of quarters (especially for
the losing team) has been curtailed
somewhat. The beefed-up defense
now adds incentive to pass more
often in games. And because
defending players don't play as
close on defense (they give a
slightly bigger cushion now), you
won't have to worry about having
the ball picked off.

NBA Jam or Sim

The better Al also enables NBA
LIVE 99 to differentiate between
sim and arcade modes even more
than past editions of the game
have. Now, arcade mode is more,
well, arcadey.The action is faster,
and dunks happen a lot more fre-
quently: and when they do hap-
pen, they're soaring leaps from
the three-point line that take you
over the basket. Playing in this
mode really gives you the sense
that you're playing arcade bas-
ketball. In regular simulation
mode, however, the enforced
rules and the newly enhanced Al
provide basketball play that's
more challenging and realistic.
Whereas sim and arcade mode
played a bit too similarly in previ-
ous NBA LIVES, in LIVE 99 the dif-
ferences between the modes are
far more pronounced.

Not only does the new engine
add moving mouths to the game,
but it also brings 3D faces to life.
All the players now have expres-
sions, which are most noticeable
in the lineup screens — you'll see
the players smiling or scowling.
Sometimes the expressions look
goofy, but other times the realism
is eerily fascinating. The 3D faces
also look amazingly like the real
players' faces. Rodman looks like
Rodman, and Kukoc looks like
Kukoc. It's uncanny the way the

engine can deliver such accurate
looking faces. (During the game,
however, the resemblance tum-
bles a little.) The new engine also
more accurately differentiates the
sizes of players. Now, big guys
like Ostertag and Smits look huge
compared to tinier players like
Muggsy Bogues,

More I in the Al

While the engine and graphics
are nice, the enhanced Al is equally
impressive. I played a few games
against the computer and immedi-
ately noticed that the computer
was just plain smarter than it was
in previous versions of NBA LIVE.
Now, when you drive into a group
of opposing players, you are almost
guaranteed to have the ball stolen.
Wade into that many hands and
the ball is bound to be slapped
away. The defending players are
also better at getting rebounds. The
increased number of steals and
better overall defense is a welcome
addition to NBA LIVE 99.

Your own computer-controlled
players are also smarter. 1 noticed
that they run to the basket more to

Another addition
to LIVE 99 is a new
practice mode.
Currently, practice
mode puts you on
an outdoor court
where you can prac-
tice your dunks and
special moves, such
as the all-new fake
moves and fake
shots. While practice
mode lets you hone
your individual skills,
however, it doesn't
allow you to practice
multiple-player
plays, I hope EA Sports includes an
option to add a second, computer-
controlled player to the practice
mode so that you can practice
assists and passes.

There will also be multiple sea-
sons in NBA LIVE 99 as well as a
live draft. Now you can try to build
a dynasty to rival the Bulls, as you
participate in drafts, make trades,
and carry your successes or failures
for up to 10 consecutive seasons.
The game will track the develop-
ment of your players' careers and
present you with a Decade in
Review screen at the end of your
tenure. Trades with computer-
controlled teams are not brain-
dead gimmes; the computer will
judge whether you're making a fair
offer and decline or accept it.

At the Buzzer

With the better-looking engine,
smarter Al, and other enhance-
ments, NBA LIVE 99 promises not
only to continue the excellent
gameplay of the series, but also to
add more challenge and beauty to
this EA Sports gem. If the fouls and
excessive stealing can be balanced
better and the practice mode and
multiplayer modes tweaked (hot-
seating curiously seems to be miss-
ing), NBA LIVE 99 should provide
the most satisfying basketball fix to
date. Even if the NBA players sit
out this season squabbling over
contracts, there's no reason why
you can't still enjoy classic NBA
basketball. Kd'.V

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Real-world Physics Rule In This World War II Sim

by Denny Atkin

T he Focke-Wulf 190 dives
for safety as tracer bul-
lets from the nose of
your P-38 chew into its
wing. As the ground
rushes toward you. you
realize you're heading
down an unsafe speed.
But you’ve worked too hard for
this kill to give up now. One final
burst and you start to pull up. The
190 seems to have survived your
onslaught; but suddenly, as it
begins its pullout, the plane's left
wing rips free— too weakened
from your fire to handle the stress
of the pull-up — and the Focke-
Wulf spirals into the ground. You
recover from your own dive with

GENRE; Simulation

RELEASE DATE: Q4 '98
DEVELOPER: Parsoh
PUBLISHER: Activision

barely 100 feet to spare, savoring
your victory. But then you look out
the side of your canopy and real-
ize that you actually bent your
plane's wings during the pullout.
You're going to have to nurse this
one home.

This is just a typical dogfight in
Activision's upcoming FIGHTER
SQUADRON: THE SCREAMIN’
DEMONS OVER EUROPE. In a
crowded field ofWWII flight sims,
FIGHTER SQUADRON has a number
of distinguishing features, but
none more than its physics model-
ing. The sim is being developed by
Eric Parker's Parsoft. Fans who
experienced the previous effort by
that team, A-1 0 CUBA, will be
happy to know that this one
makes the already impressive
physics model in that previous
game look positively primitive.

Wings of Density

I have to admit that even
though the game's artificial
intelligence was already doing a
good job in combat in the alpha

version I tested,

I spent at least
as much time
playing "test
pilot" as I did in
combat. I per-
formed success-
ful experiments,
such as hopping
into a B-17.
jumping into its
ball turret, and
shooting an
engine nacelle and part of the
tail off another plane in the for-
mation. Then I jumped into the
cockpit of the other plane and
tested how it flew with the
damage. Its performance was
convincingly hampered.

Then it was time to test-fly the
P-38. Looking out the side window
while performing high-G maneu-
vers, I could actually see the
plane's wing flexing up and down.
Then I purposefully came in for a
couple of hard landings. On the
first one, I bent the left main gear
strut. On the second, I actually

knocked the wheel off. What was
impressive, though, was what fol-
lowed. The wheel continued to roll
down the runway and down a hill.
It finally came to a rest at the bot-
tom, wobbling to a stop like a
spinning quarter.

For the less experimentally
inclined, the detail of the sim's
physics model will translate into a
convincing flight environment.
Aircraft handling feels authentic,
and when you shoot off parts of
another plane, its performance
will be hampered accordingly.
Don't follow too closely behind a

^.computergaming.£

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

FIGHTER SQUADRON: THE SCREAMIN' DEMONS OVER EUROPE

bandit when you’re blasting him.

If you saw off a wing, it will spin
back toward you in a manner eeri-
ly reminiscent of WWII gun cam-
era footage; if you hit it, it'll do
damage to your own plane. Bullet
modeling is very good, with the
effects of gravity and gun conver-
gence on your tracers very evident
when firing at distant targets.

It was particularly impressive
when I made a close pass behind
a Hawker Typhoon during a dog-
fight and actually felt my plane
jerk as it passed through the
plane's "wake." This brought back
an immediate deja i/uto a real-life
dogfight against Robin Kim in Sky
Warriors T-34s — the plane reacted
to the slipstream in the sim just as
it did in real life. While other
upcoming sims may match
FIGHTER SQUADRON when it comes
to getting the performance and

SMOKED KRAUT Towns and airfield are very
detailed, down to the smoke emitting from
chimneys.

handling numbers right, no other
sim I've flown has so fully cap-
tured the feeling of the entire
flying experience.

Fire in a

Crowded Theater

Combat takes place in three
theaters: Dover, covering battles
over the English Channel; North
Africa; and Rhineland over
Germany. These theaters are com-
pressed in size: Targets it would
take an hour to fly to In reality
can be reached in a few minutes
of flight in the game. While this
will offend purists, it simply means
you won’t be faced with the
choice of equally unrealistic time
compression or spending a lot of
time flying a boring, uneventful
straight line to the target.

The terrain here is absolutely
beautiful, with rolling hilts and
river valleys that promise to be
great for low-level dogfighting in
multiplayer mode. Roads run
between the towns, which are
modeled In nice detail, and trans-
parent smoke emits from chim-
neys. Even this smoke is useful,
because it can indicate the current
wind conditions. Fogging is used
to good effect, keeping the frame-
rate up without generating an
unrealistic experience.

You can fly missions for three
sides in a variety of aircraft. For the
U.S., you can pilot the B-1 7G Flying
Fortress, the P-38J Lightning, and
the P-51D Mustang. For England,
choices are the Lancaster Mk.ll
bomber, the Mosquito fighter-
bomber, and Spitfire and Typhoon
fighters. Finally, German pilots can
fly the Focke-Wulf 190A, Me-262A,
and the Ju-88
bomber. When
flying bombers,
you can man
each of the
plane's positions,
so you'll be able
to put the plane
into autopilot
and jump into a
turret when
you're engaged
by fighters.

The current
build of the game has 1 0 mis-
sions in each of the three the-
aters, but there are far more than
30 different flying opportunities.
Each mission has aircraft from all
three countries taking part, and
you can fly the mission from the
viewpoint of any of these aircraft.
You might fly a dam-busting mis-
sion in a Lancaster bomber, then
fly it again from the perspective
of a Spitfire escort.

Next you can revisit this mis-
sion from the other side as a FW-
190 pilot trying to take out the
Lancasters. In addition, there are
training missions for each aircraft,
a scramble instant-action mode,
and multiplayer missions. The lat-
ter weren't implemented in the
version I flew. However, given the
layout of the terrain, the superb

damage modeling, and the
smooth multiplayer play in Par-
soft's earlier A-1 0 CUBA, multi-
player mode should be quite
intriguing here.

Call in an Editor

The sim also includes a complete
mission editor, so you'll be able to
add your own missions or down-
load new ones from the Net. You
can set waypoints, orders, and tar-
gets; assign squadrons to escort
other squadrons; and adjust
weapons and fuel loadouts for
each plane. You can also adjust
numerous aspects of each squad-
ron's artificial intelligence: Skill,
Aggression, Loyalty, Morale, and
Sanity. Even in this early version,
the Al is quite convincing. I could
drop planes into an arena and they
would engage In realistic furballs.

More extensibility will come
from Parsoft's Open Plane Inter-
face. The developer will document
the formats and flight model struc-
ture for the sim's aircraft, so third-
party developers will be able to
create new planes. However, they
won't be doing an actual plane
editor. And after having had a few
of Parker's intriguing flight physics
discussions go skyrocketing over
my head, I don't think creating
new planes will be a task for the
uninitiated. I hope an enterprising
third-party developer like Game
Tool Technologies will come up
with a user-friendly plane editor.

FIGHTER SQUADRON has enough
unique features to stand out from
the pack. When you factor in its
quality physics model and extensi-
ble plane set, it has the potential to
offer long-term gameplay. S3I3

CUSTOM COMBAT The mission editor lets you adjust various
pilot Al aspects for each squadron.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ♦ DECEMBER 1998

/compulergaming.f

Microsoft Motocross Madness™ comes free with
the Freestyie Pro.

C 1988 All rights rosorved. Microsoft, Motocross Madness, Sidewinder are
Microsoft Corporation irj ihe United States and/or other coorirlss.

Welcome to the Microsoft’ Sidewinder^ Frees^e Pro joystick. Now you can throw yourself into the action.
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Freestyle Pro

by Keith Ferrell

I ongevity offers challenges
as well as opportunities.
Just as with television,
when a computer game
series gets older, in the
best of circumstances, it
also gets wiser and better.
The groundwork is estab-
lished freeing its creators to move
on to explore other issues.
Audiences are familiar with its
underlying concepts but, handled
carefully, that familiarity can breed
renewed excitement rather than
jaded contempt.

Based on the pre-release
version of SlMClTY 3000 I’ve been
looking at, the designers at Maxis
have decided to pursue excite-
ment, both visceral and intellectu-

admittedly, some of the game's
most promising features not yet
implemented — the designers
have succeeded.

Nine years ago, when the origi-
nal SlMClTY made its debut,
resource management and
exploitation games were some-
thing new. The story goes, in fact,
that Broderbund, the game's origi-
nal publisher, insisted on putting
disasters, including Godzilla, into
the game in order to increase the
program's "playability."

They missed the point.
Playability was something SlMClTY
possessed plenty of. It was just a
different sort of playability.
Managing all of the various
resources and problems of a city's
growth and health proved to be
an almost hypnotic challenge.
SlMClTY was a prime example of

the "I'll just play five more min-
utes" type of game. Parameters
could change in the course of
those five minutes, leading you to
give it 5 — or 50 — minutes more.
There had never been anything
quite like it. SlMClTY broke new
ground (pun intended) and, for a
while, had that ground to itself.

No more — SlMCITY's influence
has been felt on games such as
CIVILIZATION and all of its off-
spring, as well as any number of
pick-a-planet-and-colonize-it
space adventures. You can even
find its influence in COMMAND &
CONQUER and that game’s
cousins and clones.

But SlMCITY's goal — Godzillas
notwithstanding— has always
been more peaceful than that of
the games it inspired or sired.

Build a city. Fill it with people.
Keep them happy,
prosperous, productive,
and safe. Large goals,
with large challenges
that grow larger with
the passing of each
simulated day.

Everything Old
Is New Again

Now, with SlMClTY 3000,

Maxis has returned to the game's
roots, taking advantage of close
to a decade's enhancements in
programming tools and computer
power to give the game a new
look and feel and make it a
deeper experience.

The basics remain the same.

Pick a piece of land, build houses,
stores, and factories; provide
power, water, and a transportation
system. Now run it. Simple. You
know, like Fred Astaire dancing.

SlMClTY 3000 makes running
the city, at least at the highest lev-
els of gameplay, more of chal-
lenge of coordination with your
sim-population than you had in
the earlier versions. Petitioners in
the new game make their
desires — and demands — quite
clear, and the wise administrator
learns quickly to keep a constant
eye on the petitioners’ requests.

This time, you get far more of a
feel for the personality of your
sims. In the earliest versions of the
game, information about their

al. From what I've seen — with.

SimCity 3000

The Classic City Builder Returns to Its Roots

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1996

v.compulergaming.c

GREEN ACRES: Agriculture and its various support industries and
endeavors play a larger part in SiMClTY 3000 than in previous
versions of the game.

TECH TO ME Technology parks represent a
brighter and flashier vision of industrial
development than dark, sooty factories.

lives and the effec-
tiveness of your
administration of
the city was relayed
to you through
charts and graphs.

That sort of infor-
mation remains
available, but more
easily and quickly
digestible advice
comes from advi-
sors, news tickers,
and the ever-
present petitioners.

As is customary with the SIM
series, you can strip away informa-
tion to provide focused views of
one or another aspect of the city
and the site on which it stands.
Examine power or water supply
routes, police and fire zones, and
the like. These snapshots of specific
managerial areas quickly become
an important tool as well as an
information resource.

If there was a single aspect of
SlMClTY that gave pause to occa-
sional players, it was the speed
with which cities became almost
too complex to manage quickly,
making the game an unlikely
source of casual entertainment.
That may be even more true of this
latest version. While budgeting fea-
tures were not yet implemented in
the copy I examined, there were
enough other managerial criteria
and concerns present to make it
clear that the game will require
focus. The city-management tools
are there, many of them more easi-
ly accessible than before, but they

will need your almost constant
attention.

And what's wrong with that?
SlMClTY never pretended to be a
causal game. It's a digitally ren-
dered thought-experiment, and
quite a good one at that. No won-
der the game has shown up in so
many classrooms over the years.

Interfacing With
Your Public

The newest incarnation of
SlMClTY may take a bit more time
to get used to than the original.
The interface is clear and well-
designed, but it's not particularly
intuitive. Playing, as I did, without
a manual, is tough: One hopes for
clear, concise documentation, as
well as reference sheets or charts
to help navigate through the
multilayered menus. Onscreen or
online help would be appreciated
as well.

Controls are sensible and easily
mastered — once you get a feel for
them. Moving the cursor does not

cause the screen to scroll automat-
ically; you have to hold down the
right mouse button for that. This
bothered me until ! remembered
how annoying autoscroll can be
when you don't wantto scroll.

Some aspects of running your
city have been simplified — provid-
ing power and water to your citi-
zens and their enterprises is more
automated than i recall from earli-
er versions.

Other aspects are more realis-
tic — particularly the handling and
disposal of your city's garbage. As
in the real world, this quickly
becomes a dance of various trade-
offs and compromises, each of
which affects your population and
the effectiveness of your city
administration. Neighborhoods
develop personalities and, one
assumes, virtual voting habits.
Depending on your policies, you'll
find yourself more popular in
some parts of town than others.

Without the budgeting features
implemented I hesitate to com-
ment on the economic side of
things, but I have little doubt that
economic tools will likewise show
a leap in sophistication over previ-
ous versions.

On the whole, SlMClTY 3000
delivers a far more realistic feel for
the populations of its cities, and the
behavior patterns of blocs within
that population than did its prede-
cessors. Some of this depth is
accomplished graphically: Richer
renderings are used to deliver infor-
mation as well as aesthetic appeal.

Look at Me

Some of the enhancements are
cosmetic— and cosmetic of a high
order. SlMClTY has never looked
better. The graphics, particularly in

SKYSCRAPE VIA NETSCAPE
You'll be able to share and
compare cities via the
www.simcity.com Web site.

any of the several close-up zoom
views, offer a nearly photographic
level of detail. People and vehicles
move through the city. Plant,
water, and other details are like-
wise more realistic and convincing
than ever.

Disasters continue to play a
part in the sim-saga, and there
are plenty of catastrophes here
waiting to undo your hard work.

Sound effects enhance the illu-
sion to a degree that surprised
me. The sound is contextual — its
nature changes depending on the
part of town you're in. Visit a park-
and you'll hear children; go to an
industrial zone and you'll hear the
sounds of work. It's a nice and
effective touch.

A news ticker contains informa-
tion, but also a repetitive series of
"cute" statements that grow tire-
some. You can remove this and
other control features from the
screen. There's also a good selec-
tion of background music scores
from which to pick.

The introduction of a variety of
beautifully rendered famous
buildings, including the Alamo
and the United Nations, is a
delight and provides the gamer
with the opportunity to put famil-
iar pieces of grand architecture in
the midst of Anytown,

A feature called Starter Towns,
not yet implemented, promises to
offer historical towns and the
challenges those communities
faced. I would like to see some of
the theoretical and fictional towns
offered as well. But I suppose that
most of us will create our own
cities, towns, and burgs, as we
always have. Starting with a patch
of ground, we build our dreams —
into utopia, dystopia, or some-
thing in-between.

The results in SlMClTY 3000 are,
more than ever, up to us and our
planning and managing abilities.
The designers of this program
have done well by it, honoring a
justly famous predecessor and at
the same time adding touches
and tools of their own that should
help ensure SlMClTY a solid place
in gamerooms and classrooms for
the next millennium.

^.computefgaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

By Jeff Green

T alk about your fast
starts. Ubi Soft's FI
RACING SIMULATION,
released earlier this year,
was an outstanding
Formula 1 game that
instantly took its place
next to MicroProse's
GRAND PRIX series and Sierra’s
NASCAR games as one of the best
racing sims in years. Not bad for a
rookie title.

Now Ubi Soft is hoping to make
the same kind of splash in the
arcade racer market with SPEED
BUSTERS, a fast-paced, action-
oriented NEED FOR SPEEO-alike
that uses the FI RACING engine.
Why would you want to play
SPEED BUSTERS over NEED FOR
SPEED III? We were wondering this
ourselves. But after a few spins
with the beta {the game should
be out by the time you read this),
we discovered that, as with FI
RACING, Ubi Soft has built in
enough innovations and unique

gameplay elements to distinguish
itself and to seriously challenge its
competition.

Dinosaur Crossing

If anything, SPEED BUSTERS is
even more arcadey and cartoony
than NFS. Subtitled AMERICAN
FIIGHWAYS, the game comes with
six main tracks set in a variety of
locations, including Aspen, Los
Angeles, Louisiana , Nevada, and
Canada. Although each track
includes recognizable "real life"
iconography, the fantasy element
is cranked way up in this game.
Thus, a spin through the Nevada
desert will include a gathering of
flying saucers overhead, while the
Hollywood track includes a detour
through a movie studio with a
giant Godzilla-type creature
roaming the street.

The great thing about these
animated objects is that they’re
not just window dressing. Instead,
these are real objects that you can
collide with and that will actively
get in your way and impede your
progress as you race. On the
Hollywood track. Godzilla might
take a swipe at your car and send
you careening out of control. On
the Aspen track, a rock slide might
strike your car or a snow blower
might obstruct your view. The

environments will change as the
laps progress.

Auto Eroticism

In contrast to the cartoony envi-
ronments, however, is some semi-
serious driving. Because the game
is based on the FI RACING engine,
car handling is more sophisticated
than in the average arcade racer.

It's still easy, and your options for
tweaking your vehicle are limited,
but it's still quite common to spin
out or lose control. Surface is a real
factor here — you're going to slow
down in the gravel and slip and
slide in the snow.

Unlike NFS, SPEED BUSTERS does
not include real licensed vehicles,
but instead uses seven fantasy cars
based on 1950s and 1990s auto-

mobile designs. The irony here is
that, while you don't get the thrill
of racing a real-life Aston Martin or
Ferrari, the trade-off is greater real-
ism: These fantasy cars can take
and show damage — something
that NFS' licensed vehicles aren't
allowed to do — and the damage
will affect your car's performance.
You'll be able to customize your
vehicle's look by creating custom
"skins," which you will also be
able to upload and download from
Ubi Soft's Web site,

The game's 3D graphics (which
require an accelerator) are impres-
sive — crisp, detailed, and with a
broad color palette, with liberal
use of transparency and particle
effects, which adds to realism.
Music is another nice touch. Each
track has been scored separately,
and within each track, different
musical themes are applied to
match the environment. It's a nice
change of pace from the standard
driving game techno/Euro twaddle.

NFS Buster?

Since SPEED BUSTERS is still in
beta, we can't render a real judg-
ment yet. There's still a lot that's
not implemented, including multi-
player action and the game's
Championship mode. Do PC rac-
ing fans really want a game with
giant dinosaurs and flying
saucers? Maybe not the same
crowd that wants GRAND PRIX
LEGENDS, but we'll see. One thing
that FI RACING SIMULATION
proved, though, is that Ubi Soft
knows how to make a great
driving game. Don't count SPEED
BUSTERS out. SSB

Pii we went to press, Ubi Soft announced the sequel to FI RACING
SIMULATION, called MONACO GRAND PRiX RACING SIMULATION 2. At
present, we don't know much besides that Ubi Soft is promising

even greater control, deeper customization, and a track editor. Look
for a detailed sneak preview in an upcoming issue of CGW.

I\ COMPUTER GAMING WORlD » DECEMBER 1998

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v.compulerg.iming.r

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER

MECHWARRIOR

DOWN, BUT NOT OUT

(n previous giant robot games, it's been enough to deck the opposing
Gears, or HERCs. in MECHWARRIOR 3, your opponents are likely to extend an
appendage and rise to the challenge.

Shooting Scars

Playable from either a first-person (cockpit) or
third-person (chase-the-Mech view) perspective,
MECHWARRIOR 3 features enough eye-popping action
to make you think your monitor is in danger of
exploding. A Bushwhacker pulverizes a stone column
into dust, initiating a chain reaction in which the cor-
ner of a building falls atop an unsuspecting Owens
and crushes it. The crushing damage causes an exolo-
sion, and the Owens becomes unsalvageable slag. A
Mad Cat gets pummeled to the ground by a barrage
of autocannon rounds. But while it looks as immobi-
lized as someone on the wrong end of a Muhammad
Ali knockout blow, amazingly, the Mad Cat extends
an appendage and pulls itself to its feet like the
gigantic humanoid it resembles, Mechs hide in bodies
of water and jump-jet — seemingly out of nowhere —
to ambush your lance. Mechs step on and obliterate
objects. MechWarriors navigate huge caves and tun-
nels and fight in urban environments and the great
outdoors. Mechs with damaged legs take on a crip-
pled bird walk as they limp and stumble in the
fight— a fascinating effect whether viewed from the
third-person perspective or experienced firsthand in
the jiggling cockpit view. Everything about the look of
MECHWARRIOR 3 has the impact of a long-range mis-
sile, It won't soon be forgotten.

Smoke Jaguars in Your Eyes

MECHWARRIOR 3 is set within the Twilight of the
Clans series of novels. That makes it A.D. 3058 in the
FASA universe when the heroes of the Inner Sphere are
still struggling against the renegade might of the Clans.
In the single-player campaign in MECHWARRIOR 3, the

iVlECHWARRIOR 3 features
make you think your

gamer and his or her fictional comrades will face the
might and technological superiority of the dreaded
Smoke Jaguar Clan. It begins with a rather routine
police action (a la Korea?), which immediately goes
awry (naturally, the player doesn't know that right off)
and continues to escalate. Fortunately, gamers have
some new tools at their disposal.

First, the new mission editor enables you to edit
waypoints for your Mech and Mobile Command Base
(MCB) immediately after the mission briefing. From
the same map where you observed the mission
objectives and known enemy concentrations, you'll be
able to grab, click, and move waypoints. What's par-
ticularly interesting is that during the course of the

COMPUTER GAMING WOULD « DECEMBER 1 998

ii.compulergaming.c

CRUSHING DEFEAT

enough eye-popping action to
monitor might explode.

route to certain waypoints and will directly attack it with your Mech
inside if they can.

Fourth, since heat plays a critical factor. MechWarriors can now hit
a keystroke to automatically flush coolant through their Mech's sys-
tem. You can do this twice during a mission, and it's invaluable
when you're firing your most powerful weapons against large enemy
Mechs or taking too many energy blasts from a Firefly.

Fifth, you can now establish up to five weapon groupings. You
have to do this in the Mech Laboratory before initiating a given mis-
sion. But this is easy and offers a customizability that gamers have
longed for since early in the series.

Finally, MECHWARRIOR 3 sports the widest assortment of Mechs in
the history of the series. You'll pilot or face the following beautifully
portrayed Mechs: Avatar, Blackhawk, Bushwhacker, Cauldron-born,

campaign you'll find that the data
provided by your mission briefing is
simultaneously invaluable and
spotty. At times, you'll need to trust
your instincts and reset the way-
points for your survival.

Second, you now have a one-
click zoom, which enables you to
pinpoint long-range targets better,

This view not only looks great, but
assists you in making sure that
you're taking out a Mech efficiently
enough to be able to scavenge
from it. Salvage is vital in
MECHWARRIOR 3. By changing the
green targeting circle first to yellow
and then to red, the interface even
lets you know that your weaponry
is in, respectively, extreme and then
effective range. This feature adds
new tactical nuances.

As an aside, experienced
MechWarriors who have always enjoyed targeting one leg and
shooting it until it is amputated will still be able to use that tactic.
However, you will now have to deal double-damage to the leg to
sever it. Single damage causes a distinctive, animated limp. It’s very
satisfying to have your enemy doing a high-tech version of the
chicken dance while you outmaneuver the lame-duck pilot and take
out a higher priority objective.

Third, you now have command of a MCB — rather a mixed bless-
ing. It is a boon because for the first time you can replenish your
ammunition and repair damaged armor in the midst of a mission.
You merely enter the MCB and it starts to work on you.
Unfortunately, the Al Mechs will try to ambush the MCB while it's en

in MECK-

As
sequence
shows,

be a

iputergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

MECHWARRIOR 3

''Viv;

SID MEIER'S

ALPHA

C E N I A U K I

From the creators of Sid Meier's
Civilization I ft II, Colonization
and Railroad Tycoon .

Design your land, air and sea units
to best serve your strategy. With over
32,000 eonfiguralions you can build —
and conquer t)n your own terms.

Grow stronger by building dozens of
base facilities or v/orking on astounding
"Secret Projects" that ensure unique
bonuses for your faction... and you.

Use terraformers to raise and lower
the land, altering weather patterns and
the course of rivers. Make the planet
more suitable for you or harsher for
your opponents.

2200 AD. What’s left of civilization has landed on a inyslerious alien planei. And it’s
up to you to chart the fate of humanity. Which of seven governing factions will you
choose to lead? Each has Its own strengths and weaknesses-and its own agenda.
It’s legenilaty Sid Meter strategy gameplay taken to a whole new level. Just don't
forget to watch your back. Gel the full story and demo ai www.alphaccnlauri.com

Explore. Discover. Build. Conquer. For The Future Of Mankind.

MECHWARRIOR

Every angle of the cockp
is available for viewing,
including the controls
above your head, if you
tire of the first-person
viewpoint though, you
can play the entire
game from third-person
perspective.

Nav: Darn

Mechs with damaged legs limp and stumble in the
fight.... It's very satisfying to have your enemy doing
a high-tech version of the chicken dance.

Champion, Dasishi, Firefly. Mad
Cat, Orion, Owens, Shadowcat,
Strider, Thor, and Vulture. In addi-
tion, you'll face your share of
Elementals — the elite infantry of
the Smoke taguars, which can be
both pesky and deadly when
attacking your Mech en masse.

Enemy Thine

Of course, all of the improve-
ments described above don’t really
matter without improved enemy Al.
Frankly, MECHWARRIOR 3 has great

Al. Even though the version we
played doesn't have the Al fully
tuned, we can tell that the enemy
Mechs are going to be smart.

Al routines for the computer-
controlled MechWarriorswill run

the gamut from rookies through
regulars to elite. The mix of piloting
skill will change according to the
mission setup and limitations. You
also won't necessarily know the
skill of the pilot from the size of

the Mech. Big doesn't necessarily
mean better, but as elite enemy
pilots proliferate, you will notice
that Mech configurations will
change from standard configura-
tions to more exotic ones.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 199B

^.computcrgaming.c

funny tfiings^yp pen
tD^|;n\p,eop(er|A
a f(ajn cn-tfjtotD if g Oregon

MECH WARRIOR

sweated profusely throughout the
exercises as though their lives
were really on the line.

The folks at Zipper observed
military personnel using SimNet at
Fort Knox, Kentucky, and were
greatly impressed; they've since

The biggest improvement in the
Al routines is the fact that they are
no longer primarily scripted.

Enemy Mechs will act and react
according to tactical routines pre-
cipitated by their own mission
objectives, damage situation,
ammunition supply, number of
enemies faced, primary attack
types, and pilot skill. You can no
longer simply assume that you’ll
have only a given number of
Mechs to face when you enter a
particular combat venue. The force
mix of the enemy will depend on a
number of dynamic factors as will
the level of their aggressiveness.

When you tire of making a big
splash, you can jump-jet out of
the water and onto the beach.
Should you land on something
like this unfortunate crate, it
ceases to be an obstacle.

SimMech

New hands have been at the
controls of MECHWARRIOR 3 since
the game's inception. (Zipper
Interactive took over develop-
ment from fledgling FA5A
Interactive, a division of the pub-
lisher that created the BattleTech
universe.) But from what we've
seen, the new hands appear to
be elite ones. Zipper is peopled
largely by military contractors
who helped build the U.S. Army's
SimNet experience. (SimNet was
the networked universe of com-
bat vehicle simulations that pre-
pared U.S. troops for the Gulf
War.) SimNet was so realistic that
some tankers have been known
to exit the simtank vehicle to
take compass readings; others

tried to apply that same profes-
sionalism to MECHWARRIOR 3.
They laugh about being so serious
about a fictitious universe, but the
result is a MECHWARRIOR universe
that feels right and — given sus-
pended disbelief — seems realistic.
So far, MECHWARRIOR 3 definitely
ranks as the most powerful Mech
experience yet. LK'iVJ

Even the aesthetic touches, such
as differing footprints left
behind in various terrain, have
implications within the game.

JET LAG

BIGFOOT LIVES

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

/.compulcrgaming.c

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“E3 Sizzler.”

•mputir Gaming

ump on the back of Arokh, a two-ton warrior dragon with firepower to
And you'll need all the firepower you can gel tp survive the treacherous

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different dragon attacks. And with multi-player support for up to eight players, “Drakan: Order of the Flame" lets you battle il
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»:!S^

Have Yourself a Mayhem Chrisi^as. . .
a Harrowing Hanukkah...a Sinister Saturnalia!

t he idea of the "average" gamer's holiday may well be as much of an
aberration as the "typical" nuclear family depicted on these pages.

Images of blow torches and depleted uranium shells instead of the
sugar plums of old may dance in the heads of gamers tucked in their
beds on the proverbial "Night Before." Mayhem is as likely to define
merriment for gamers as much as the jolly old fat man of holiday lore.

As in holidays past, our Holiday Hot 100 appears to assist you in explaining your
holiday wishes to those of a gentler persuasion. Our editors have once again drawn up
lists of the best games in each genre that are likely to come out this holiday season or
are already out. However, like Jacob Marley's ghost in the Dickens classic, some of
what is shown may be visions of what might be or could be— rather than what must
be. We've tried to include only those products with a high chance of releasing before
the holidays, but we can't guarantee that the development elves at every company will
actually make their ship dates.

We boldly suggest that you check out this guide, circle the games you'd most like to
unwrap during the holiday season, and pass the magazine along to your favorite gift
giver. With your help, they can avoid being virtual Scrooges because they just didn't
understand what you wanted. Yule be glad you did.

www.computergaming.com COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998 103 \

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

Index

Action

Battlezone 109

Dark Vengeance 112

Half-Life 108

Heart of Darkness 115

Klingon Honor Guard 115

Oddworld; Abe's Exodus 115

Requiem 109

Shogo: Mobile Armor Division 112

Sin 115

Thief: The Dark Project 112

Adventure

The Blackstone Chronicles 124

Grim Fandango 121

King's Quest: Mask of Eternity 120

Redguard 124

Sanitarium 121

Classics and Puzzles

Creatures 2 136

Don't Touch That Dial 138

Gobble II 138

Smart Games Challenge #3 137

Stratego 137

Hardware

ADS Technologies USB Hub 215

Anchor Chips EZ-Link 215

Boston Acoustics 635 Speakers 221

Canopus Pure3D-ll LX 2-Card Set 218

Creative Sound Blaster Live! 215

Gravis Xterminator 221

Guillemot Maxigamer Phoenix 214

PowerLeap AMD K6-2 Upgrade 215

STB Velocity 4400 214

Suncom Controller Pack 218

Blue's Clues: Blue's Birthday Adventure 224

Curious George Reads, Writes & Spells 226

The D-Show 225

Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the

Stolen Conch Shell 225

HeadRush 224

Lego Loco 226

Mulan Animated Storybook 225

SimSafari 225

Small Soldiers: Squad Commander 226

Starfire Soccer 226

FI Racing Simulation 180

Grand Prix Legends 184

Moto Racer 2 187

Motocross Madness 187

Need for Speed 111: Hot Pursuit 184

Role-Playing Games

Baldur's Gate 127

Fallout 2 129

Final Fantasy VII 127

Might and Magic VI 126

Return to Krondor 129

Simulations

Apache-Havoc 153

Combat Flight Simulator 156

European Air War 151

F-16 Multirole Fighter/MiG-29 Fulcrum 151

F22 Total Air War 153

Falcon 4.0 148

Fighter Squadron: The Screamin' Demons

Over Europe 148

Fly! 153

Israeli Air Force 151

World War II Fighters 144

Space Sims

Descent: Freespace 165

Heavy Gear II 164

Independence War 160

StarSiege 164

Wing Commander: Prophecy Gold Edition 165

Sports

Baseball Mogul 173

FIFA 98/World Cup 98 166

Front Office Football 173

Links LS 99 170

Madden NFL 99 167

NBA Live 99 170

NCAA Football 99 173

NHL 99 170

Sporting Clays 176

VR Baseball 2000: Next Generation Baseball 167

stocking Stutters

CGW 237

Create and Share Camera Pack 228

Diamond Rio PMP300 Portable Music Player 228

Redshift 3 237

Lego MindStorms 228

Birth of the Federation 195

Command 8! Conquer 2:Tiberian Sun 193

Heroes of Might and Magic III 191

Jagged Alliance 2 195

Myth II: Soulblighter 191

Populous: The Beginning 193

Railroad Tycoon II 195

StarCraft 190

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate 191

Warlords 111: Darklords Rising 193

Wargames

101:The 101st Airborne in Normandy 206

Aide de Camp 2.0 206

Axis & Allies 203

Battle of Britain 203

Dragoon 209

Great Battles Series: Collector's Edition 209

North vs. South 206

The Operational Art of War 202

People's General 209

West Front 206

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ♦ DECEMBER 1998

^.computergamine-c

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shorter than the half-life of cesium
137. it looked as though it might
never be released. Well, HALF-LIFE
should be out in time for the holi-
days, and it should definitely top
any action fanatic's wish list.

HALF-LIFE takes the worn
premise of alien invasion and
injects it with vibrant new life,
thrusting gamers into the most
immersive alternate world yet
burned onto a CD-ROM. This is
accomplished through scores of

HALF-LIFE takes the worn premise of alien invasion and
injects it with vibrant new life, thrusting gamers into the
most immersive alternate world yet burned onto a CD-ROM.

little touches and scripted scenes
that create an incredibly cinematic
feel. Spin around a corner to see a
howling research scientist pulled
to his doom through a shattered
ceiling. Run into a hallway and
jump when a mutant tears through
the door behind you. Escape on a
descending elevator platform and
hastily reload your puny .45 as
skittering aliens plummet after
you. The overwhelming sensation
you have when playing HALF-LIFE
is of constantly trying to catch
your breath.

Adding to the challenge is the
advanced Al of the monsters,
who'll hunt in packs, pursue you

through the levels, and retreat.
Fortunately, you're not always
forced to deal with them alone.

You can direct security personnel
to accompany you and even get
some characters to administer
much-needed medical treatment.

The Valve team has pushed the
QUAKE II engine to its limits and
has added a lot of its own code.
The results are horrifyingly detailed
monsters, brilliant explosions, and
a gameworld that almost seems
alive. Dynamic textures allow you
to see bullet holes in walls and let
you bash almost anything you see.
All this adds up to a game any
action fan would love as a gift.

GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

iputergaming.c

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

2. REQUIEM

3. BATTLEZOME

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 550
3D0, {650)261-3000

www.3do.com

Fallen angels have

come to Earth, infecting the popu-
lace with their evil and summon-
ing demons to do their bidding.
You are Malachi, one of the
Chosen, a loyal angel who's been
sent to do whatever it takes to
stop the Fallen from creating a
true Hell on Earth. It's the ultimate
battle between Good and Evil, and
it rages in 3D0's REQUIEM.

Dark and foreboding, REQUIEM
is beautiful to look at, with incred-
ibly detailed environments that
embody the spreading corruption
of the Fallen. The action takes
place in dank cityscapes, sinister
cathedrals, and the bowels of
Chaos itself. The attention to detail
is as evident in the intricate
design of stained glass windows
as it is in a painting hung in a
seedy bar. While the game will run
in software, you'll need a 3D card
to get the most out of it.

REQUIEM will feature only five
traditional weapons as opposed
to a shooter's usual bloated arse-
nal. The focus will be on the 24
divine powers of Malachi. As an

takes place from the cockpit of the
gamer's missile-slinging command
tank via a mouse-driven interface
that is one of the slickest and
most intuitive to be found in any
game. A handy 3D topographical
map helps you and your units
negotiate and exploit the treach-
erous cliffs and canyons that scar
each planet. A rich back-story sets
up the deftly designed missions,
culminating in battles and base
assaults that erupt in an explosive
orgy of blasting gun towers, cir-
cling rocket tanks, and the thun-
derous attacks of the slow but
deadly Goliath walkers.

Some terrific 3D effects —
including choking smoke, brilliant
explosions, and the lovingly
detailed units themselves — make
BATTLEZONE a visual delight.
Multiplayer action is a blast, fea-
turing deathmatches in which
players can man weapon-loaded
lunar probes as well as the full-
bore strategic game. Certain to
please any gamer, BATTLEZONE is
not to be missed.

Taking place during
the great Space Race
of the '60s and '70s,

BATTLEZONE ranges
across the planets and
moons of the Milky
Way as the United
States and Russia slug
it out to possess a
strange new element.

While the game retains the
hover-tank blasting action of the
coin-op original, it adds a whole
new layer of strategy, stressing
resource management, troop tac-
tics. and hasp hiiildinn All nf this

angel, he can turn
enemies to salt, make
blood boil, control
minds, and fire devas-
tating lightning bolts.

His powers are not all
offensive either; they
include shielding and
deflection. To succeed,
gamers will have to
master ail the skills, not
just the killing ones.

NPCs will help propel
the story through
sequences animated by
the robust game engine.

With moving mouths
and faces, they're some
of the most lifelike NPCs
we've seen in a shooter.
Interartion with them is integral
to moving through the game and
should alleviate the key hunts that
normally plague such games.

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $49.95
Activision, (310) 255-2050

www.activision.com

MORE THAN AN UPDATE

of the arcade classic, Activision's
BATTLEZONE not only reinvents the
hoary tank genre but sets the
standard in the growing realm of
action/real-time stratpnv hubriris.

y.compiitergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998 jitlil

Irict 63tl>e[ioo of Developers

34 different cargos and 59 en^n^S
from around the world.

1024 X 768 graphics in '16-bljj
color. Up to 300.000 pi>|lygoqs
.on the screen at once. ' jj{i

40 different tycoons all
one {*oal: bankrupting .you.

rfn York to South

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illiil-L-S

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

THE DARK PROJECT

intriguing story. For anyone who
even remotely enjoys anime,
SHOGO is a great gift choice.

6.DARKVEMGEAMCE

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $54,95
GT Interactive, (2t2) 726-4205

www.gtinteractive.com

A STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL

gameworld and breathtaking
action set DARK VENGEANCE apart
from the pack. Bash your way
through a classic fantasy setting
as one of three characters: a
heavily muscled Gladiator, a spell-
wielding Warlock, or a crafty
Trickster, Each character comes
with a unique set of weapons, like
a staff that materializes vicious
bats and a devastating mace that
covers its wielder in protective
stone. With each character deliver-
ing dramatically different action,
the replay value is high.

Hand-to-hand combat goes
beyond merely mashing a "Fire"
button because characters have
multiple attack moves and can
dodge and block attacks. More
than 40 monsters — such as
knights made of stained glass,
dark elves, and wolf bats — chal-
lenge you in 18 missions, includ-
ing three character-specific levels.

5. SHOGO: MOBILE

ARMOR DIVISIOM

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $49,99
Monolith Productions, (800) 241-4263

www.nth.com

WHILE MOST FIRST-PERSON

shooters tend to share the same
sort of feel. Monolith has looked
eastward for the concept and
design of SHOGO: MOBILE ARMOR
DIVISION. Inspired by such anime
as Patlabor, Macross, Gundam,
and Neon Genesis Evangelion,

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $49.99
Eidos Interactive, (415) 547-1200

www.eidosinteracive.com

ONE OF THE MOST ORIGINAL IDEAS IN ACTION
gaming distinguishes THIEF: You're cast as a burglar
who must utilize the utmost in stealth to achieve his
goals. Discarding the run-and-gun mentality that

dominates most first-person
games, THIEF creates a palpable
tension while you eavesdrop on
enemies, use water arrows to
douse torches, creep along heavily
shadowed walls, and dispose of
the few bodies you leave behind
{lest the guards discover them).
The 3D-accelerated graphics are
great, creating moody cobblestone
streets bathed in gloom and bring-
ing the dank, forbidding, pseudo-
medieval world to life.

SHOGO casts you as a young
officer in the United Corporal
Authority Security Force. All the
anime conventions are there:
an intricate story filled with a
host of characters: loads of
mecha action; and a wide vari-
ety of over-the-top weaponry.
Using Monolith’s own LithTech
engine, which stands up weli
to the QUAKE II engine, SHOGO
features branching missions,
action that alternates between
being on-foot and piloting the
Mobile Combat Armor, well-
animated characters, and an

A stunningly beautiful gameworld
and breathtaking action set DARK
VENGEANCE apart from the pack.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

/.coiTiputerg.iming.i

www.southpeak.com

Fast-paced, 3D arcade game
featuring the off-the-wall
humor of Pinky & the Brain
One to Eight Players
Tournament Play available
LAN and Internet Multiplayer
options

20 pre-designed mazes and count-
less others available through
random maze generation
Build your own mazes with the
included maze generator
3 Types play: percentage of
territory, timed play, tag/
keep-away

Spectacular lights and sounds
Compatible with Gravis-type
Joypad, or Keyboard/Mouse

15 (o </«v5efoi>

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1/ ■ *

hofU wd( ply iUZ7^U

wdi ^st trTi

Ww™ / / t I

i PHILIPS

biimhiUtfgilMiif'

• The aftereffects of the Philips Digital USB :
* •• 1 Speakers. Not your average PC speakers.

Whether its the DSS350 or DSS370, Immerse yourself in the experience
of high intensity sound. Featuring “Incredible Surround” — 3D digital sound
quality and “Hot Plug &c Play” for easy installation. Philips Digital USB
speakers. Its nor only sound you can hear, its sound you can feel. For more
info, call 1-800-835-3506 or visit us at www.usbaudio.phillps.com

OIWK Philip, iilectfuiiicj Nonii Amcria c:of|>gtaiioii

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

7. ODDWORLD:

ABE'S EXODDUS

9. SIN

Windows 95/98 CO-ROM, S49.95
GT Interactive, (212) 726-4205

www.gtmteractive.com

THE WONDERFULLY ODD

characters of Oddworld return in
this captivating sequel to ABE’S
OODYSEE. This time the Glukkons
are using Mudokons to mine
bones for SouiStorm brew, and it's
up to Abe to rescue them. He has
a number of tricks at his disposal,
such as possessing his enemies or
using his farts as floating bombs.
Abe's charming speech ability is
also important to the game, and
his vocabulary has Improved.

EXODDUS boasts lush graphics
and challenging puzzles consistent
with the world. Even better, you
can now save at any point. Unfor-
tunately, our version forces you to
quit your game before you can
load a saved one. We hope the
final version will fix this.

have attacked the High Council.
KHG features 26 levels ranging
through seven alien worlds. Better
still, it spotlights some of the most
popular Star Trek denizens, includ-
ing Andorians, Nausicans, and, of
course, hordes of Klingons.

You'll be armed with a full com-
plement of weapons to help you
spill the magenta-hued blood of
the Klingons, including particle-
dispersal cannons and the vicious
Bat’leth. Actors from the series
provide the voices.

Windows 95 CD-ROM, S49.95
Activision. (310) 255-2050

www.activision.com

SJtUNGOI^^

homor'guard'

Windows 95 CD-ROM, S55
MicroProse, (510) 864-4550

www.micropro5e.com

THE BEST GAME USING

the UNREAL engine this year may
not be UNREAL, but KLINGON
HONOR GUARD (KHG). Set in the
Next Generation universe, the
game casts you as a member of
the Guard charged with tracking
down renegade Klingons who

SAVING SIN FROM BEING

just another first-person shooter
are the people behind it — Ritual
Entertainment. With the acclaimed
Levellord designing levels, you can

Stocking

ooklng to take your action gam-
-«ing proclivities into the real world?
Paintball Is a good (and legal) option. If that's
your bent, consider picking up Kingman
International's new Spyder Elite paintgun for S225.
Capable of firing balls at 298 feet per second and fea-
turing a Turbulence Venturi bolt for increased accuracy
and distance, the Spyder Elite more than gets the job done.
www.kingmanu5a.com

expect lots of insidious surprises
and challenges. The story-driven
action begins when your alter ego,
John Blade, is called in to thwart a
less-than-routine bank robbery
only to discover a larger plot that
propels him across six dynamic

game regions. Weapon-loaded
vehicles are available in limited
portions of the game, all the bet-
ter to mow down SiN's crafty ene-
mies, who use cover and shadow,
follow you (even up elevators),
and shoot at you through glass.

10. HEART
OF DARKNESS

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S49.95
Interplay, (800) INTERPLAY

www.interpiay.com

behind OUT OF THIS WORLD and
FLASHBACK, this game was lost in
development limbo for years but
has finally seen the light of day.
Don't let its lack of 3D or its

side-scrolling gameplay put you
off, HEART OF DARKNESS (HOD) is
a compelling platform game that
requires thinking arrcf reflexes.
Seamlessly Integrating FMV and
gameplay, HOD features lush
background art; detailed, animat-
ed characters; and stellar use of
sound. Perhaps the game's only
flaw is that it's too short. Fans of
side-scrolling platform games
won't want to miss this one.

i(.computergaming.(

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1 998

jd>IERR/{

^ STUDIOS

www.sierrastud ros.com

16 'bit color

60 spells to create and adapt

ill plot-twisting

Tactically complex, turn-based combat

R eturn to a land of intrigue and adventure. Lead your band of five characters on
^ a quest to recover the Tear of the Gods, a mystical relic coveted by a madman
bent on spreading darkness across the land of Midkemia. From the dizzying heights
of Krondor's Palace, to the haunted depths of a temple dedicated to an evil as ancient
as the gods themselves, never before has an RPG given you so much of what you want.

Goto#192 @ www.computergamlng.coiTi/infolink

The O-FFrcrAJ- 3EQ.ue_ to the Best Sei-liho RF<?

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

lEven More Gift

Ideas for Action Fans

If you prefer spells and staves
to guns and ammo, check out
Activision's HERETIC II, powered by
the QUAKE II engine. You play from
a third-person perspective as you
seek to find a cure to a hideous
plague spreading across the conti-
nent. But don't think the fantasy
setting and third-person perspec-
tive make this some sort of "Elf
Raider." The emphasis here is
squarely on action as you hack,
slash, and blast fireballs through
richly imagined cities, swamps,
and dungeons.

Finally, online gamers might
enjoy FIRETEAM or STAR SIEGE:
TRIBES, FIRETEAM ships with a
microphone headset that allows
you to converse with your squad-
mates in realtime to coordinate
attacks in this third-person shoot-
er. This Internet-only game won't
ship until early 1999 but can be
ordered directly from Multitude.
Dynamix' STAR SIEGE: TRIBES also
emphasizes team play, but from
the more traditional first-person
perspective. TRIBES features varia-
tions of "Capture the Flag" on
huge alien worlds and can be
played on a LAN or the Internet.

IT'S TOUGH TO WHITTLE

the crowded action genre down to
just 10 titles since there are plenty
of games worthy of attention.
There are just too many to
squeeze into that main list, so
here are a few more suggestions.

Even the most Luddite non-
gamers probably know of Lara
Croft by now. She and her freshly
pierced navel will be hitting store
shelves sometime before
Christmas in TOMB RAIDER III. This
year's model features 15 nonlinear
levels taking place in locales as
various as the South Pacific, India,
and the United States' (in)famous
alien research facility, Area 51 .
TOMB Raider's signature lush
graphics keep getting better and
sport multicolored lighting effects,
water reflections, and weather like
fog and snow (in which Lara will
leave footprints).

Fans of DESCENT will likely
enjoy the hoverbike-riding, laser-
blasting action of FORSAKEN.
Gamers speed through twisting,
enemy-loaded tunnels in a truly
3D world, where passages are just
as likely to be over your head as

to either side. While the
game will run without a
3D accelerator, you need
one to truly enjoy the
breathtaking graphics.
Incredible lighting
effects and searing
explosions distinguish
this title. This is an ideal
gift for anyone getting a
Voodoo^ card this year.

UNREAL is easily the
most beautiful first-
person shooter in some
time, topping even
QUAKE II when it comes
to glittering eye candy.
The unique, imaginatively
designed alien worlds are

Stocking Sf

S potlighting a 20-year-o!d CD in a maga-
z\

Fzine so obsessed with bleeding-edge tech-
nology may seem strange, but Iggy Pop is the
perfect thing to listen to while playing QUAKE II and ^
the like. Songs like
"Gimme Danger" and
"Search and Destroy" prove
Iggy was gibbing Iron
Maidens long before id digi-
tized them. Pop it into your
CD-ROM drive and go to
town with that rail gun.

engrossing and
populated with
tough monsters.

QUAKE II loyalists
will enjoy the QUAKE
II: GROUND ZERO
expansion pack.
Designed by Rogue
Entertainment, the
geniuses behind the
QUAKE mission pack
DISSOLUTION OF
ETERNITY, this CD-
ROM is packed with
14 diabolical new
single-player levels, 10
new DeathMatch lev-
els, and loads of new
weapons, power-ups,
and monsters — all the
things that make deal-
ing death fun.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

^.computcrgaming.c

iri^ STORES m octoberi

UNLEASH THE MAGIC

Cali our new Rage of Mages WindOWS^95\98

Hint Line: 1-900-CALL-LITH Rn-linM

www.llth.com

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Go to #1 44 @ www.cotnputergaming.com/infolink

1. KING'S C

tmssEnmm

Windows 95 CD-ROM, S49.95
Sierra On-Line, (425) 649-9800

www.sierra.com

WE'VE BEEN ANTICIPATING

the eighth game in Sierra's iong-
running KING'S QUEST series for
close to two years now and, hon-
estly, we've spent most of that
time being skeptical about it. But
now that we've actually played
the game, we are willing to pub-
licly eat crow and say, with assur-
ance, that KING'S QUEST; MASK OF
ETERNITY is the adventure game
we most want to play this holi-
day season.

Veteran designer Roberta
Williams, who goes all the way
back with the Sierra series to
KING'S QUEST I in 1984, is again at
the helm, and there clearly was no
reason to doubt her sure hand. As
promised, Williams has taken this
game in a completely new direc-
tion, while adroitly preserving the
spirit of the series. It's a remark-
able achievement.

are willing to publicly eat crow and say, with
assurance, that KING'S QUEST: MASK OF ETERNITY is the
adventure game we most want to play this holiday season.

KING'S QUEST: MASK OF
ETERNITY once again takes
place in the kingdom of
Daventry, and as before,
you embark on a heroic
quest to save the land. But
that's about all this game
shares with the past.

Williams' story is set in
a completely 3D world,
with an engine as powerful
and robust as that of any
current-generation action
game. Really. Connor, your
character, travels the beau-
tifully designed levels in
the game from either a
third- or first-person

perspective. You will have to
engage in combat now (part of
our early skepticism), but the cool
thing is that it's not only scalable,
it's actually fun, too.

The greatest thing about the
game, however, stems from the
fact that despite the radical
changes it's still an adventure
game at heart. A real one. based
on puzzle-solving, in which the
only way to succeed is by using
your brain.

We've bemoaned the death of
the adventure game all year. With
KING'S QUEST: MASK OF ETERNITY,
Sierra — appropriately enough —
has given the genre new life.

Ok COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

i^.compiitergaming.c

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

2. GRIM FAMDAM60

an object that you can interact
with. The bottom line on this one
is simple; It's a LucasArts adven-
ture game. We want it.

3. SANITARIUM

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 549.95
ASC Games, (203) 327-3366
www.ascgames.com

JT MAY NOT BE THE

cheeriest holiday gift in the world,
but this dark, disturbing adventure
game, designed by Dreamforge
Intertainment, came out of

nowhere earlier this year and
totally blew us away.

Unlike Sierra's KING'S QUEST and
LucasArts' GRIM FANDANGO,
SANITARIUM breaks no new ground
graphically, but that doesn’t mat-
ter. What sets SANITARIUM apart is
its skillful storytelling, which takes
a gripping plot and plays it out in
a way that remains utterly unpre-
dictable and unsettling until the
very end.

The game puts you in the role
of a man who wakes up in an
insane asylum, unable to remem-
ber who he is or how he got
there. As you attempt to discover
your identity, you'll embark on a
metaphysical mystery over a series
of surreal levels that will leave
you constantly questioning
whether what you're seeing is
"real" or not. Are you experienc-
ing these horrors, or are they the
fevered dreams of a madman — or
both? If they are just dreams,
what do they mean? These ques-
tions will keep you glued to your
computer screen.

The game's isometric perspec-
tive and traditional puzzle-solving
gameplay are decidedly old-
school, but they work well, and
the puzzles (for the most part) are
brilliantly Integrated into the
storyline. SANITARIUM is the dark-
est, most disturbing, and — in
terms of plot — most memorable
adventure of the year. A perfect
gift for those long winter nights.

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM. STBA
LucasArts, (888) LEC-GAMES

www.lucasarts.com

WE'VE WRITTEN ABOUT

the latest comic adventure from
LucasArts several times now, and
what can we say? We still can't
wait to play it. As most gamers

know by now, GRIM FANDANGO is
an all-3D adventure game based
on Mexican folklore and set in the
Land of the Dead. You play the
role of world-weary dead man
Manny Calavera, a skeletal inhabi-
tant trapped in the Land of the
Dead. He's anxious to get out and
commits a desperate act that
plunges him into a web of intrigue
straight out of Double Indemnity
and any number of other classic

noir movies. The game
was designed and writ-
ten by Tim Schafer — the
brain behind LucasArts'

DAY OF THE TENTACLE
and FULL THROTTLE—
and despite the grim-
sounding subject matter,
you can expect the
script to be chock-full of
the same
smart-alecky
comic genius
found in those
games.

What is
totally differ-
ent this time
around is the
game's look. Like Sierra,
LucasArts has (at least
temporarily) abandoned
its long-standing 2D graphics
engine for an entirely new 3D one.
Gone is the much-loved SCUMM
engine in favor of one that lets
you physically maneuver your
character through the world (even
with a gamepad). The gameplay is
the same as it ever was, just a bit
more dynamic: Instead of clicking
around the screen for hotspots, for
example, Manny will physically
turn his head when he walks by

v.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

To those who always wanted to rule the world -

stop thinning so small:

■ Introducing Star Trek: The Next Generation^ Birth of the Federation,'" the first PC strategy

game to put you in the center of the vast STAR Trek? universe. Control one of five alliances,

each with its own agenda: the diplomatic Federation,™ the stealthy Romulans,™ the warrior

Klingons,™ the entrepreneurial Ferengis” and the ruthlessly efficient Cardassians.”

Command over

50 authentic 3-0 starships. Engage in ultra -realistic 3-D combat. Explore black holes.

worm holes — every corner of space. Up to five players can compete via LAN, modem

or over the Internet. Think you've got whafit takes to rule the universe? Make it so.

THEnEXTEEnEH^Tian

BIRTHS FEDERATmiM.

Pictures. MicroProse is a registered trademark of MicroProse, Inc. or its afhlioted companies. *• \

* Go to #223 @ www.computergaming.com/InfolInk

.^,^^PR06E.

yuwv.microprose.com

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

4jTHEBlACKST0NE

CHRONICLES

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 559.95
Legend/Mindscape, (703) 222-8515

www.legendent.com

ONE OF THE FEW GOOD

things that came about while
Random House owned Legend
Entertainment was that the big
publisher arranged for acclaimed
adventure-game designer Bob
Bates to meet horror novelist John
Saul. Some three years later, after a
series of best-selling books and a

5. REDGUARD

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 549.99
Bethesda Softworks, (301) 926-8300

www.bethsoft.com

TV miniseries, we finally get to play
the game on which all of this is
based. The MYST crowd will swoon
over the pretty pictures. And seri-
ous adventure gamers should be
happy that they have a creepy,
cerebral, psychological thriller. The
game is based on some of the
more unsavory aspects of mental
health hospitals.

THE NEXT ELDER SCROLLS

game from Bethesda Softworks is
not the sequel to DAG6ERFALL
(which is still a ways ofO. In-
stead, it's an adventure game
that attempts to tell a smaller
story in the world ofTamriel.

Like MASK OF ETERNITY,
REDGUARD is a 3D game that
combines elements of action and
adventure while focusing strongly
on plot and character interaction.
The game's look is, mercifully,
light years beyond that of
DAGGERFALL. And the plot— much
more tightly focused than the
miasma that was DAGGERFALL —
should serve to keep adventure
gamers enthralled.

Stocking
Stuffer

T he hallmark of any great adven-
ture game is its story, so why not
get the adventure gamer in your
life some actual books? John
Saul's creepy six-volume,
serialized novel
The Blackstone
Chron/c/esis available
in a collected set for
SI 4.95 from Random House.
For an even creepier, more cerebral
reading experience reminiscent of
SANITARIUM, check out Haruki Murakami's
unforgettable cult classic, Hard-Boiled
l/l/onder/and and the End of the World (S13,
Vintage International).

'.v.. . . . '‘liSaaBaunu:.

iOther Adventures

f we had a sixth spot on
either this list or the RPG
list, we would have definite-
ly included QUEST FOR GLORY
V: DRAGON FIRE. The fifth
game in Sierra's beloved,
long-running adventure/RPG
series has been in develop-
ment forever, but at last It's
almost complete. It's a
great-looking game that
wilt surprise a lot of people.

REDJACK: REVENGE OF THE
BRETHREN is the latest
adventure from CyberFlix,
which hit it big in a weird

way when a year-old game
of theirs unexpectedly
popped back up on tiie
charts. The game? TITANIC.
This time they tackle pirates
in a traditional old school-
style adventure.

It's no secret that we're
not the world's biggest
RIVEN fans, but far be it
from us to be so Scrooge-
like as to not recommend it
for the holidays. For the
early adopter in your life,
it's also now available on
DVD, as is Broderbund's
JOURNEYMAN PROJEG 3:
LEGACY OF TIME.

A COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

^.computergaming.com

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SETTLERS- III.

SETTLERS

In (his real-time strategic simulation of tactics, prosperity,
combat and growth you’ll become completely immersed
with your new found friends. Meet the challenge of the
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AVAILABLE NOW

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0 YEARS OF

Go to #280 @ www.computergaming.com/infolmk

1. MIGHT AND MAGIC VI

tive gameplay. Months after its
release, most of us are still playing
this game, still trying to conquer
the tougher denizens of Enroth
and still not bored or sick of it all.
Why? Because like all of the games

MIGHT AND MAGIC VI, through crafty design, manages to
provide hundreds of hours of gamepiay while never feeling
out-of-control and unmanageable the way DAGGERFALL does.

associated with New World Com-
puting's MIGHT AND MAGIC fran-
chise, MIGHT AND MAGIC VI.
through crafty design, manages to
provide hundreds of hours of
gameplay while never feeling out-
of-control and unmanageable the
way DAGGERFALL does.

While remaining utterly faithful
to the series' spirit, the game
stands as a serious improvement
over the previous entries in every
way. It sports a deeper spell book,
a better experience and skill model,
and a real-time/turn-based toggle
that keeps you moving at a brisk
pace yet lets you slow down for
strategic thinking during combat.

The 3D graphics won't get mis-
taken for UNREAL, but they're quite
good and don't require an acceler-
ator card. Extra touches — such as
a doth map, hidden dungeons, and
undocumented item enchant-
ments — speak to the overwhelm-
ing generosity put into this game.

Yes, the storyline is minimal at
best, the NPCs are annoying and
mostly useless, and some of the
dungeon combat is painfully
tedious, but these are small marks
against a gigantic gift of an RPG.

If there’s a role-playing fan in your
life who hasn't played this yet,
MIGHT AND MAGIC VI is the num-
ber one holiday pick.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

/.computtTgjming.c

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

2 . BALDUR'S GATE

recent experience with the beta
shows the payoff. The graphics —
from the gameworld's isometric
view to the meticulously designed
interface, screens, and character
portraits — are detailed and evoca-
tive, Combat is real-time, but a
strict adherence to AD&D rules
ensures that it's more than a click-
fest. The well-designed interface
simultaneously balances tons of
options while keeping everything
simple and intuitive.

RPG of the year or another
AD&D letdown? We can't yet say
for sure, but we know which way
we're leaning.

races, classes, and alignments). But
you'll end up with a party of up to
five other characters.

Bioware, the game's developer,
has been working obsessively on
this game for years, and our

Windows 95 CD-ROM, STBA
Interplay Productions,

(949) 553-6655

www.interplay.com

BALDUR'S GATE IS THE

most anticipated RPG of the year,
and it should be out by the time
you read this. If it holds up to
everything we've seen so far, it
just might move up a notch when
we get to our end-of-the-year
rankings. BALDUR'S GATE is a
hugely ambitious five-CD game
set in the Advanced Dungeons
and Dragons' ?orgotXer\ Realms
world. Not only is it the first
AD&D computer game in years to
even have a chance of not totally
sucking, but it also has the mak-
ings of a classic.

Both a single- and multiplayer
game, BALDUR'S GATE takes place
along the Forgotten Realms' Sword
Coast, where an iron shortage sets
in motion a series of events that
will take you from your quiet castle
life out on to

a — what else? — epic heroic quest.
You begin the game as a single
character (which you'll generate
using any of the classic AD&D

I'.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

Behind you lie the gntes to the stronghold of New Jollis, the
Inrgest city in nil of South Vormis. iJou stnnd in the ceritml ;;
Qunrter before the legendnry Big Rocs’ Cnfe. The Duke
hHS decinred n stnte of mnrtinl inw untii the brignnds
thnt hnve been terrorizing his innds nre defeated. ;
Grent riches nnd fnme nwnit the heroes thnt 5
succeed, nnd their names shaii be n
sung by troubadours
throughout
the iand.

Adventure and Giory
await you in this Radicai
New Oniine Roie-piaying Game.

• Over 200 Race/Ciass combinations

Scores of shops with thousands of items

intricate piot lines, not just hack and siash

character sees in a 3D worid

speiis that you can niter to
suit your needs

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

experiences and a different style of
gameplay will find the richest and
most emotionally affecting story of
the year in FINAL FANTASY VII.

4. FALLOUT 2

Windows 95 CD-ROM, STBA
Interplay Productions,

(949) 553-6655
www.interplay.com

FALLOUT 2 IS DEFINITELY

a case of "more of the same." But
since the original was the best
role-playing game in years, that's
not necessarily a bad thing. The
sequel to our 1 997 RPG of the
Year, FALLOUT 2, returns you to a
postapocalyptic California, where
you set off once more on an epic
quest among mutants, giant scorpi-
ons, and other irradiated
Californians, Interplay has been
awfully quiet about this one since
the abrupt departure of designer
Tim Cain; but after playing the
beta, we're not too worried.
FALLOUT 2 should retain the origi-
nal's unique setting, proven game-
play, and sense of style and humor.
It's not breaking new ground, but
it should be a lot of fun.

3. FINAL FANTASY VII

THIS FIRST PC PORT OF SQUARESOFT'S

legendary Japanese console RPG series wasn't quite
the home run some of us hoped for (it was marred
by some installation problems and less-than-stellar
graphics and sound), but it's still a landmark game.
FINAL FANTASY VII (FFVll) is easily as huge as MIGHT
AND MAGIC VI, but that's where the similarities end.
FFVll is more like a movie or novel in which you
guide a rotating cast of characters through a com-
plex story filled with acts of heroism, love, heart-
break, betrayal — and lots and lots
of combat.

The game's plot (much too com-
plicated to describe here) combines
elements of science fiction, fairy
tale, and heroic adventure. The
graphics evoke Japanese animation
(anime), with an exaggerated, car-
toony style (in 3D, for which an
accelerator is recommended but
not required). The game is far more
linear than PC role-players are
used to. The flip side, however, is
that each character you portray is
so deep and emotionally complex
that once you've been playing a
while, you'll find yourself becoming
genuinely attached to him — and
rooting for him — as you continue.

You need to change your expec-
tations for a game like FINAL
FANTASY VII. It is, at root, a console
game best played with a gamepad
(there are even some arcade
sequences to negotiate). But
RPG fans who are open to new

Windows 95 CD-ROM, S54.99
Eidos Interactive, (41 5) 547-1200

www.eidosinteractive.com

/.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

r*]

/^'^^W.MtLBO'URNtHO'USLCO'M/KKNO

download the demo, prove us wrong

Go to #281 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

BHlMlEIKllia

Windows 95 CD-ROM, STBA
Sierra On-Line,

(425) 649-9800

www.sierra.com

WE'VE STOPPED COUNTING

how many times this game has
appeared on various C6M/ lists
over the years, but Raymond E.

Feist's long-
delayed sequel
to the classic
BETRAYAL AT
KRONDOR looks
like it's really,
truly, finally
going to ship
this fall. We're
giving it one
more chance. Developed by
Pyrotechnix, RETURN TO KRONDOR
tells a brand-new 1 0 chapter story,
penned by Feist, which is set in the
fantasy world of Midkemia in a
time just after the events occurring
in BETRAYAL Ifs turn-based, it's
party-based, it's 3D, it's Feist. Now
we're just waiting for Sierra to say,
"It's done."

Stockins,^

AD8tD Core Rules

F aster than a CPU, more powerful
th

than thumbing through pages of charts,

and able to do bookkeeping at the a
speed of sound, it's.. .role- ^
playing utilities! Pen
and paper RPGers
should seriously consider
the Advanced
Dungeons & Dragons
Core Rules 2.0, a tremen-
dous assist for dungeon mas-
ters with its encounter pro-
gram, NPC generator, and cam-
paign and scenario map editor.

This year's version is terrific
for gamers who want to
play online or link maps and encounter documents (S54.95,
www.tsrinc.com}. Superhero gamers should also check out the new
Creation Workshop (two floppies), which lets you aeate characters
for several game systems (S30, www.herogames.com).

other RPGS

T here are a ton of other
RPGs on the horizon in this
newly revived genre, so plan
on sharpening your sword and
pulverizing your enemies for
many months to come.

KEXPLORE. from Infogrames,
is 3 big, retro-looking RPG
with a GAUNTLET/DIABLO fee!—
which means lots of head-
bashing and treasure-looting.
Its look is a little dated, but
the game's easy to get into,
and has a nice sense of humor.
See our full review in next
month's CCW.

RAGE OF MAGES is a dark,
detailed Russian import with a

unique "mission-based" struc-
ture. We'll have a review on
this next month as well.

If budget is a concern, and
you don't mind venturing into
the land of the really old-
school, then you can't do
much better than Jeff Vogel's
award-winning shareware
RPG, BLADES OF EXILE, which
offers tons of gamepiay and
a scenario editor (www.
spidweb.com).

In the way distant-future
department, there are a num-
ber of exciting announcements. .

Interplay is following up
BALDUR'S GATE with an AD&D .
game that looks to be at least
as epic as that game, if not

more so. PlANESCAPE; TORMENT
is being developed by Zeb
Cook, the man who created the
Planescape universe for T5R,
along with Colin McComb,
another TSR refugee. The game,
built on the BALDUR'S GATE
engine, is still way off— but
look for a big sneak preview in
an upcoming C6W.

As we went to press, two
new RPGS were announced
based on popular pen-and-
paper games from White Wolf
Game Studios. The first, ASC
Games' WEREWOLF: The
APOCALYPSE, sounds awesome,
but it's at least a full year
away. Developed by
Oreamforge Intertainment

(makers of SANITARIUM) and
using the UNREAL engine,
WEREWOLF will take you from
London to Greece in an
action/RPG that plunges you
into the heart of a war
between the Garou (the good)
and the Wyrm (the bad) were-
wolves in White Wolf's dark
universe. The second game is
VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE,
published by Activision and
developed by Nihilistic
Software, a very strong look-
ing startup with talented
refugees from LucasArts,
Rogue and more. For fans of
White Wolf's games, 1999 is
looking like a landmark year
for PC games.

v.compulergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

Discovery consists of seeing

what everybody has seen

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

The Future is in Your Hands

Lead an empire from primitive beginnings
into the stunning sci-fi future of 3000 AD.
Every decision you make has repercussions
on your future world. Will you rule a grim,
industrial jungle or a utopian society?

Not All Wars are Fou^t on the Battlefield

Add to your lethal military might with uncon-
ventional types of warfare, such as economic
attacks or religious conversion. A variety of
units, buildings, governments, wonders, and
research options are at your disposal,

Discover Who Among Your Friends Wili Rule

Go head-to-head in multiplayer world-building.
But remember - in war, even friends can
become enemies. A nanovirus you release
in one opponent’s city may spread to others,
leading you into a war with an unintended parly.

Clvilizntion; Call lo Power '0 1998 Aclivision. Inc. Activision is o tejiisterc-d traOemarH and Call to Pov/er is a trademark ot Activision, Inc. CIVILIZATION computor gairies O 1991- 199B
MicroProse Software, inc. CIVILIZATION Is a trademiifk or registered Iradetnark of MicroProse, Irtc. or its affilioiod companies.

Tims proOuct is made and sold undei license from MicroProse. An ngfns reserved. All other irudemarks and trade names are tfie properties o( tficir tespocUve owim.ts.

CIVILIZATION .

CALL TO POWER'

WWW. acti vision, com

Go to #1 45 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

Earlh We follow the precepts of our father. His law is dear; Use no magic when steel and muscle will suffice, or disaster and chaos will follow, We keep the law. Our armies enforce it.

H onor, vengeance.

HOPE. TERROR.

Four Kingdoms, four
creeds. Four immorlal
siblings have fought for 1 500
years to rule the land of
Darien. But one of the rivals
discovers an ancient artifact,
and it shatters the balance of power overnight. Massive armies collide.
Supernatural forces level entire cities. Chaos destroys the land and
the stability of the universe is shaken forever.

Features

• Four unique sides with different build hierarchies

• Hardware support for improved graphics and special effects

• Rich, in-depth story and character development

• Physical changes in veteran units

• Lay siege to castles and cities

■ Non-player humans, wandering monsters and life forms

• Pre-buill multiplayer bases and/or units

• Multiplayer missions & varied victory conditions

• Switchable radar/main map view

• Custom keyboard mapping

• Multiplayer capabilities over LAN, TCP/IP, modem and Internet.

Wind ^ Time has forgotten us and we have forgotten time. Our city i.s the fore.st. Our road is the wind. Those who visit our shores uninvited will perish.

iSSSS?-!

Wc seek ihe unknown. We fiml knowlcdj^c and power hidden from ordinary minds. Through skill and study, we will attain the impossible and the world will tremble.

Four powerful siblings.

A vanished monarch.

One massive realm.

The epic quest to control it all begins this March.

1 .CREATURES 2

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S39.95
Mindscape, {800) 234-3088

www.mindscape.com

IT'S BEEN A ROUGH YEAR

for classics/puzzle fans, who
could very well find a lump of

coal in their stocking, because of
the vast amount of shovelware
out there. Oddly enough, it's not
a whole new product but rather
a sequel that will shine most
brightly when unwrapped this
Christmas morning. CREATURES 2
is not merely an improvement
in almost every way from the

original, it's perhaps the best
pure A1 simulation ever made.

That it's a really fun game as
well is all the more amazing.

The Norns you raise from birth
are more charming, more loqua-
cious, more clever — their capacity
for learning is supposedly
improved by 85 percent — and
much more addictive than in the
original. You'll find yourself
chuckling for hours over the more
than 100 different Nornian facial
expressions, and, like any parent,
you'll drive yourself nuts trying to
figure out which of your Norn's
15 digestive fluids is out of sorts
when he or she is sick.

The world in which your Norns
romp and play here is more than
twice the size of the gameworld

in CREATURES, with extensive
ecosystem modeling. Still, you'll
find it far easier to navigate in
the sequel, because of its new,
improved interface.

As puzzle games go,
CREATURES 2 requires a fairly
powerful machine: You won't
need to invest in a Voodoo card,
but that old 486 that runs YOU
DON'T KNOW JACK just fine isn't
going to cut it here.

The game isn't perfect, and
some of the information avail-
able borders on overkill. Then
again, one of the best things
about CREATURES 2 is that the
game can be enjoyed on a num-
ber of levels.

Like any parent, you'll drive yourself nuts trying
to figure out which of your Norn's 15 digestive
fluids is out of sorts when he or she is sick.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

I'.computergaming.t

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

•aE: :w

2 . 5TRATEG0

lot of different maps and cool sol-
diers from which to choose (one
of them is a dead ringer for our
managing editor when we're late
with an article, complete with
epaulets). Everything else is as
you'd expect, complete with spies
to take out the enemy's marshal,
scouts to find out real values of
hidden units, and miners to defuse
those annoying bombs.

SjSMARl^AjVjK

CHALLHiGnT"

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 539.95
Smart Games/Hasbro, (508) 921-3700

www.hasbro.com

EVEN THOUGH MOST OF

us have trouble resisting the New
York Times Crossword (or even

Meteor Mayhem is a good
example of Smart Games' unique
style; it's the first asteroid game
that relies on brainpower rather
than reflexes. Rock, Paper.

Scissors derives a clever logical
conundrum from the old school-
yard game. And even a wargamer
might touch his inner shepherd by
guiding a flock across a hexagonal
grid in Sheep Dog.

As if the fresh gameplay
weren't enough, Smart Games
(now part of Hasbro) has finally
pushed the graphics and anima-
tion up several notches, so you
don't have to feel guilty when
you're playing it on the plane. And
you can leave the lame airline
crossword to the guy drinking all
the little bottles of cheap booze.

the poor imitations found in most
local newspapers), literal transla-
tions of these to the PC have
managed to redefine tedium.

Enter Smart Games, a small New
England company that found new
ways of producing brainteasers
that worked /better on a computer.
Although the Smart Games folks
have occasionally strayed into
small puzzle niches, they've gener-
ally stayed with a winning mix of
different teasers. As a result,

SMART GAMES CHALLENGE #3
features 20 all-new puzzle types,
including word problems, some
action-oriented puzzles for TETRIS
lovers, a few traditional puzzles,
and our favorites — puzzles that
you must solve through sound
cues and nonlinear thinking.

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 539.95
Hasbro Interactive, (508) 921-3700

www.hasbro.com

BACK IN THE 1960S,

Stratego was a very popular family
game-remember that agent
Mulder's sister, Samantha, was
abducted (or not) while the two
children were playing this very
boardgame — in large part because
it took a lot less time than
Monopoly or Risk. Since then, par-
lor games on the PC have scored a
few hits and a lot of misses.

One reason we like STRATEGO is
that it doesn’t try to fake being

either a real-time strategy game,
as BATTLESHIP did, or a bizarre
simulation of rolling dice from a
simulated cup, as the horrific
YAHTZEE did. It simply re-creates
the parlor classic with a few cool
options that you'd have tried on
the boardgame if only you could
have molded those darn plastic
pieces yourself.

For instance, STRATEGO lets you
and a buddy team up to take on
the computer or two of your office
mates over the LAN or Internet.
And with a turn-based game,
there's not a lot of lag to go
around. As with RISK, there are a

/.compulergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

4. Gubble II

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $39.95
Actual Entertainment, (888) 228-8251

www.actualentertainment.com

WE'LL ADMIT IT; WE

weren't that thrilled with the first
GUBBLE. This time, however,

Gubble D. Gleep seems more cute
than annoying, and he actually has
legs. Instead of being trapped in
his space pod, Gubble can
now run, jump, duck, and fly,
which allows for
some variety
when you
explore the
more than 100 new
levels (including a few
hidden bonus lev-
els). Gameplay is
pretty similar to
the first
game — you
help Gubble
fit screws into
screwdrivers and

fit drills into rivets — but the puz-
zles are more intricate. Plus, being
able to transform into a ball or use
decoy Gobbles tends to elicit a
chuckle or two.

SjDOrmoUCH

THAToiA^^™

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM. $39.95
Berkeley Sysiems/Sierra, ((800) 757-7707

www.sierra.com

NO, THIS ISN'T

YOU DON'T KNOW
JACK 3.5; it's more
like JACK TV 2 on
speed. If you can
remember the
words to "Plop,
Plop, Fizz, Fizz''
or that some ad exec
in the 1970s thought
you could convince
people that relief is
spelled R-O-L-A-l-D-S, you'll
do well at this game. We
laughed at a few of the

F or the holidays, try some boardgames from the appro-
priately named Cheapass Games. This company spe-
cializes in off-the-wali topics such as Kill Doctor Lucky
(all of the fun missing from Clue), Parts Unknown (sell-
ing body parts to Dr. Frankenstein and his competitors),
and Lord of the Fries (you're a zombie grill cook in
Hell). The games often require you to use plastic pieces or
dice from your Monopo/y set, but these games are such a
riot that it's well worth the trouble. S5-6 per game;
Cheapass Games, (206) 324-6728; www.cheapass.com

questions in the demo, but be
warned: This is the first product in
this style that Berkeley is publish-
ing without Jellyvision’s design

talents. While some will laugh
uncontrollably, others may find this
to be the biggest one-joke affair
since Magic Johnson's talk show.

B efore you ask whether we
need another cness game
for the PC keep in mind that
CHESSMA5TER 6000 should
again offer the best mix Of.
granamaster-styled computer
opponents anywhere, with
improved graphics and mufti-
play mode. Other sequels find
Berkeley and jellyvision-
teaming again for YOU DON'T
KNOW JACK 4, and Psygnosis
trying to recapture the

essence of the original with
SENTINEL RETURNS (complete
with musk from John
Carpenter). Disney's THE D-
SHOWioffers family fun for
the JACK crowd, while Hasbro
counters with THE GAME OF
LIFE (which looks better than
we, expecteid)ijHasbro alsd--
tries to improve on earlier
disasters with new versions
of JEOPARDY, WHEEL OF
FORTUNE, and TRIVIAL PURSUIT * '
expected for Christmas. And
what shopping list would be
complete this year without
MONOPOLY WORLD CUP '98?

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

v.computergaming.{

screams

and chills of
your favorite

showcase

Try it on a Pentium n

Step up to a wliolc new level of gaming iiiiensily. With a PenliunV II processor powering your computer,
.suddenly you'll .see your favorite games scream to life like never before. The Intel® Pcniium II processor
helps bring huge sound, fast action and 3D realism to today's most cutting-edge games. New titles like
flalf-Life"' from Sierra Studios are specifically designed to take advantage
of the incredible performance of the Pentium II processor. To find out Z r%4' I

about more amazing new titles created for the Pentium II proccs.sor. check III s

out the Intel software showcase at: [~t»- www.SoflwareForPCs.com | ThcConipiiicr lnsidc.’“

i , «.=,A V„ I il Vengeance is a discipline. To taste

' .■ . 10 O- payback you must master 3 radically different styles

of combat. The skull-splitting subtleties of hand-to-hand combat; the long-range guile of spell-casting and
the knife-edge nuances of trickery. Over 30 weapons. The Phantom Edge. The Living Flame. And the
Vampire Staff. And 32 simultaneous multiplayer action. Time to take off the kid gloves and put on the
spiked ones. , . . ..

Vengeance is an odyssey, in a dazzling 3D world

that dwarfs, everything except the bitterness in your heart, you are . ^1^*7

bound to undertake an epic voyage of discovery. Vast keeps. Cold crypts. More than
30 enemies. Incredible colored lighting. Insane particle FX. Pure immersion.

ilV ^ „. msQ . Vengeance is a revelation. Blood will have blood,

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I Available at your local retail store

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The most anticipated RPG of the year.

In the FORGOTTEN REALMS®, we've lived through foul pestilence,
vicious battles, exorbitant taxes, and even the occasional dragon. But
when HE showed up, things really started getting ugly.

Prepare to be immened into a world of intrigue and mystery on a
perilous quest to rescue a storied land from impending war. Even your
own soul is at stake as you and a party of adventurers become entangled in
a dangerous riddle of betrayed alliances, dark prophecies and murder.

Will you become the unlikely hero of the story, or merely another of its
unfortunate casualties? Before you answer, the big guy here might have
something to say about it.

Explore an immense, intricate game world ' from cloud-covered
mountains & rain drenched plains to dark catacombs & abandoned
temples - all meticulously rendered in lush, i6-bit SVGA graphics.

Invoke more than too spells - Freeze enemies with an icy blast
from a Cone of Cold, or incinerate them with a searing stream of
magial flame.

Push your leadership skills to the limit as you guide a party of up
to six characters, each with a personality that affects gameplay.
Don't let your stubborn fighter pummel the arrogant thief - you
may need their teamwork in your next battle.

Create your character from six AD&D® races and 26 different
classes and subclasses. You control every attribute, down to skin
and hair color, weapons, and armor - all accurately depicted on-screen.

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Go to #163 @ www.computergamlng.com/infollnk

IT'S A VERY, VERY HAPPY

holiday for the World War II flight-
sim fan. After a number of years
of just getting switches and coal
in their stockings, wanna-be WWII
pilots this year have a number of
entries to put on their list. For the
pilot who's also going to find a
hot new Pentium II PC under the
tree, the top choice is WWII
FIGHTERS from Jane's Combat
Simulations. One of the best look-
ing flight sims yet developed,
WWII FIGHTERS is the perfect
showcase for hot new hardware.

While the game has dazzling
3D graphics and supports all the
major 3D card standards, it's not
all flash and dazzle. Set during
the Battle of the Ardennes, WWII
FIGHTERS lets you fly seven
authentically modeled American,
German, and British aircraft.
Flight models are tunable from

One of the best-looking flight sims yet developed,

WWII FIGHTERS is the perfect showcase for your computer's
hot new hardware.

beginner to expert, and
the game features stun-
ningly authentic virtual
cockpits for each plane.
The varied supporting
cast of aircraft includes
the Heinkel He-1 11, the
B-17 Flying Fortress, the
B-26 Marauder (rarely
seen in sims), and the
B-24 Liberator, A variety
of stand-alone and
campaign missions are
available, and a mission
editor lets you create
your own sorties or
download new missions
from the Internet.

In addition, you'll be able to
test your mettle against other sim-
ulation pilots over a LAN or the
Internet. WWII FIGHTERS will be
supported on the free Jane's
Combat.net service, so you should
always be able to find a foe.

Multiplayer mode isn't just
limited to simple deathmatches,
either. You'll be able to fly with
and against other human players
in full-blown missions. For
instance, the mission for one
group of human players may be to
escort a group of B-1 7s while
another group has to take down
the bombers. Watch your six, we'll
be In those skies.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMB6R 1998

■computeryjaminK

First, we brought you revolutionary, award-winning, SSO"" 3D action.

Then, we plunged you into the depths to fight robots that stole your weapons,
sucked your energy and worked in teams.

What more could you possibly want?

CUNNING

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From bold and brutal to cautious and shy,
these viraily infected robots use their brains
as well as their bullets. Robots attack and

DUAL-ENGINE GAI

Parallax SoftwareForPCs.«

Software (1 /

TURN YaUR Wdrli

Melding a flight-sim engine with a
room-based, structural engine allows
the action to race on at full speed, with
no interruptions, indoors.. .and out.

MERCILESS

BEST MULTIPLAYER

OUT O F T H E BOX
Descents aniyes fufly <^timized for Internet play over
a modem. Remember intuitive simplicity of
Descent 1 and 2 network play?. Now it’s THAT EASY
to battle hordes of Descent fanatics around the world.

TECHNOLOGY

ogo. Tantrum, the Tantrum iogo, "Bv Gamers. For Gamers, are tiadeinarks of Interplay Productions. AH other copyrights and iradetnarks are the proi^erty of their raspecirve owners.

TRUE R A D I O S I T Y AND

SPECULAR LIGHTING

Now you can lurk in the shadows and sneak up on
your enemies. Specular and reflective surfaces allow for
incredible special effects that portray Descent 3 in an all new light.

P O I. Y G O N A C C U R A T E

COLLISION DETECTION

All objects have mass, velocity, moments of inertia, and
other real-world properties. Blow off a robot’s arm and
watch it bounce off" a wall and fall to the floor. Launch a missile
and see your enemies rocked back from the blast impact.

WEAPONS

Rxnn the Hame Throve
to the Black Shade, show
no mercy as you crush
enemies, th^ on Are
and watch them suffer.

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

2. FALCON 4.0

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 550
Micfopfose, (510) 864-4550
www.microprose.com

EVERY YEAR LITTLE

Johnny asks for FALCON 4.0 for
Christmas, and every year Santa
has to explain that the elves
aren't through building it yet.

Will this finally be the year that
the long-awaited F-1 6 simulation
finally appears under the tree? It
appears so, since the program
has finally entered beta-testing,
the last stage before it ships.

Still, given FALCON'S history, we'll
get little Johnny that Radioactive
Man action figure, just in case.

If FALCON 4.0 does make it
out in time, little Johnny will be
booting up the most ambitious
combat flight simulation ever
designed. Created with the
assistance of F-1 6 pilot Pete
Bonnani, FALCON 4.0 promises
to sport an unprecedented level
of detail in its cockpit and
weapons-systems modeling.
There will be a simplified mode
for beginners and more casual
players, of course, but hard-
core pilots will be able to use
targeting and weapons
systems that are among ffi

the most accurately H

modeled In a sim. H

It's FALCON 4.0's ambi-
tious campaign mode that's
probably most responsible
for the simulation's long
delay. Not only Is this future
Korean scenario fully
dynamic — the computer
generates missions on the j

fly based on an ongoing air l|
and ground war — but it can H
also be played multiplayer. H

Other gamers can join the 9

action during deathmatches 9

and single missions, and '1

they can also enter a cam- ^

paign in progress by connect-
ing on a LAN or via the
Internet. Top this off with a
graphics engine that has seen
significant enhancements since

the demo was released earlier
this year and you have the mak-
ings of the new king of the hill
for hard-core combat simulations.

BjFiGHTERSQUADRON:

SCREAMINjDEIVIONS

OVEREUROPE

Windows 95/98 and Macintosh
CD-ROM, STBA
Activision, (310) 255-2000

www.activi5i0n.com

IN THE COMPETITIVE

arena of World War II sims,
Activision's FIGHTER SQUADRON:

SCREAMIN' DEMONS OVER
EUROPE stands out for its amaz-
ing physics model. The closest
thing to a fighter I've flown is a
T-34 trainer, so I can't say that
the flight models are 100 per-
cent accurate. But I can say that
the fee/ is the closest to the real
thing I've found. The challenge of
trying to land in a crosswind, the
slight pitch change when drop-
ping flaps, the jerk of the plane
as you cross the slipstream
behind another fighter — all of
these feel just like the real thing.

Created by Eric Parker of
Parsoft, who was responsible for
the impressive A-1 0 CUBA, this

sim exhibits an even more
impressive damage model
than that title. Slide In
behind a B-17, start shoot-
ing, and watch an elevator
rip off and start spinning
toward you. Jink to avoid it
(it will damage you if you
collide with it) and start
shooting at the wing. First
an engine starts smoking,
then your tracers make con-
tact with the fuel tank and
it explodes, ripping off the
wing and sending dozens of
parts plummeting toward
the ground. Come in too hard
on landing after your victory and
you can actually bend your land-
ing gear. Flalf the fun in this
game is just watching the myri-
ad ways that planes can be
damaged.

Of course, there's plenty of
combat here. You can pilot a
variety of planes, including B-
17s, Lancasters, Fw-190s, P-38s,
and Typhoons. In addition to the
built-in missions — which you
can fly from the viewpoint of any
participating plane — FIGHTER
SQUADRON includes a full-
fledged editor that will let cre-
ate your own missions.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1996

^.fompiitiTgaming.(

The Next IDimepisiori iri 3ID Realitime Tc4eti£ali ecombat

www.imagicgames.com

Shadow Company is a trademark and Interactive Magic is a registered trademark ol Inlaraclive Magic, Inc. All other trailemarks are properly of their respective owners. ©Copyright 1998 Interactive Magic, Inc. All rigJils reserved.

Go to #173 @ www.computergaming.com/iniolink

LNOvaWorW

Your TEAM, is dug in 5 miles west of the extraction point
Tiie enemy is slowly A Surrounding you.

You’re down "to your
last few rounds —

cold, dog-tired, virounded
The only easy day

I was yesterday.

D E L T A
F O R C E

Welcome to Hell> ladies

A complete arsenal of weapons
to choose from

Motion capture technology brings
characters to life

;e the enemy over
unprecedented distances

A Premiering Toxel Space® 3 graphics terrain
with 52-bit color

A Missions developed with the assistance of
a former U.S. Army Delta Force Officer

A Play in either 1st or 5rd person
miles & miles of outdoor environi

A Over 40 gut-v/renching missions

fflfr LARGE SCALE MULThPLAY HOW PLAYING ON mawoPlUMl

N n If A I n R I I! - the art of war

U V n L U II I 11 www.novatogic.com BOO.BSa.13SS

C1998 NMlojic, Inc. Vnel Sftacs arc NovsLogic ir« teglslefrt trademarks and 0«la Fttrce, NMWwId and lire An ol War are trademarks ot Nwaldjlt, Inc. •Inlemel service required. Player lesponsiMe lor all appHeaWe Inlernfl lees. NovaUgic reserves the rtghl to ctunge IM terms ol semee alanySmt

Go to #127 @ www.computergaming.com/intollnk

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

look forward to intense canyon
dogfights. Many members of the
sim's development team are active
lAF pilots, and the missions and
aircraft performance reflect both
historical and potential Israeli con-
flicts. Particularly interesting is the
ability to jump from plane to plane
to perform each element of a
strike. You may start in an F-4 and
be tasked with taking out air
defenses, then switch to an F-15 to
eliminate enemy fighters, and you
might finally take the stick of an
F-16 to destroy a nuclear plant.

6.EUR0PEAM AIR WAR

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, STBA
MicroProse, (510) 864-4550
www.microprose.com

IN THE WORKS FOR

nearly as long as FALCON 4.0,
MicroProse's EUROPEAN AIR
WAR isn't the most technically

4jM6IVIUmROU

fulcru!v^^^~

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 544.95
NovaLogic, (800) 858-1322
www.novalogic.com

WHILE F-16 MULTIROLE

FIGHTER and MlG-29 FULCRUM are
both all-new, full-fledged, stand-
alone sims, NovaLogic plans to ship
them bundled together for a lim-
ited time. The games exhibit a new
level of realism for NovaLogic —
due to the fact that the company
had the assistance of Lockheed-
Martin and a former Soviet test
pilot — but they also contain simpli-
fied radar and targeting systems
that make them accessible to
beginners and casual gamers.

Both sims feature stunning 3Dfx
graphics, active virtual cockpits,
and full-blown mission editors.
Since two of the five campaigns
are shared between the games,
you can fly them from the perspec-
tive of both American and Russian
pilots. But the biggest appeal here
is free multiplayer action with
more than 100 other human pilots
flying F-16s, MiG-29s, and F-22s
on NovaLogic's NovaWorld server.

5. ISRAELI AIR FORCE

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S59.95
Jane's Combat Simulations,

(415) 571-7171
www.jane5.ea.com

THE SPIRITUAL SUCCESSOR

to the series that started with U.S.

NAVY FIGHTERS and wrapped with
FIGHTERS ANTHOLOGY, Jane’s
ISRAELI AIR FORCE closely resembles
that series in its basic structure.

Once you're in the sim, though,
things look and feel quite different.

The sim sports 3D support and a
voxel terrain system that offers
unprecedented elevation detail —

advanced WWII sim in the pipe-
line, But what it may lack in pure
flash it promises to make up for in
gameplay.This is the only WWII
sim slated for release this year
that has a dynamic campaign —
two, in fact. You can fly for
England or Germany in the Battle
of Britain: then you can take to
the skies as an American pilot in
the battle over Europe.

The missions in EAW can
accommodate up to 256 planes in
the air simultaneously, so look for
intense furballs. The game also
sports instant-action and multi-
player cooperative play.

'computergaminp

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

SPEED KILLS.

ATI RAGE FURY. So fast, you won’t know
what hit you.

© Copyright 1999, ATI Technologies Inc. ATI, RAGE FURY and ATI-TV arc trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. Products may not be cicacdy as shown.

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

7. FLY!

Windows 95/98 and Macintosh
CD-ROM, STBA

Terminal Reality InciGathering of
Developers, (972) 221-2664

www.terminaireality.coni

SO FAR, NOBODY'S BEEN

able to unseat Microsoft's
FLIGHT SIMULATOR 98 from its
throne as king of civilian flight
sims. But if technical merit really
affects a game's popularity in
the market, TRi's FLYI should do
just that. This sim sports flight

models created with the assis-
tance of Cessna, instrument pan-
els with unprecedented detail,
and full air-traffic control. The
satellite-mapped terrain features
accurate elevation, five major
cities modeled in detail, and all
major airports throughout the
world. TRI is encouraging out-
side development, so look for a
variety of add-on aircraft and
cities to appear. If you're inter-
ested in learning to fly, check
this one out.

AIR WAR

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S49.95
DID/Infogrames, (408)289-1200

www.did.com

WHILE F22 AIR DOMINANCE

FIGHTER was arguably the best over-
all sim of the crop of F-22 simula-
tions. many fans of DID's EF2000
simulation were disappointed to find
that ADF didn't include a dynamic
campaign engine, like the earlier
sim. F22 TOTAL AIR WAR, originally

planned as a dynamic campaign
add-on, morphed into a full-blown
new version of the game. In addition
to numerous graphic improvements
such as volumetric clouds, the game
features a full-blown dynamic cam-
paign designed with the input of
USAF veterans who actually planned
strikes during the Gulf War. A SI 5
rebate coupon will be included for
owners of F22 ADF.

9. APACHE-HAVOC

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S49.95
Empire Interactive, (800) 216-9706

www.empire-us.com

DEVELOPED BY RAZORBACK,

APACHE-HAVOC lets players expe-
rience helicopter combat from
both Western and Russian points
of view. Designed from the
ground up for multiplayer games,
it lets you take the stick of the
AH-64D Apache Longbow or the
Mil Mi-28N Havoc in both coop-
erative and antagonistic mis-
sions. While the game is accessi-
ble to casual players — systems
modeling isn't quite as detailed
as that of LONGBOW 2— hard-
core gamers will appreciate the
fact that the dynamic campaigns
can be played in multiplayer
mode. The impressive graphics
engine includes river valleys, for-
est lines, and numerous other
spots that can be used for cover,
allowing you to use authentic
helicopter tactics.

www.computprgaminp.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

lOCOjVlBft^^^
FLIGHT SIMULATOR

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S54.95
Microsoft, {800} 426-9400

www.microsoft.com

MICROSOFT FINALLY LISTENED
to user requests and put the guns
back in FLIGHT SIMULATOR.
Considering that it's built on the
FLIGHT SIM engine, COMBAT
FLIGHT SIMULATOR is an impres-
sive effort with fast frame-rates
on 3D card-equipped systems and

missions based closely on historical
scenarios. Flight modeling, as you'd
expect, is top-notch — controls feel
far less twitchy than they do in the
civilian sim. An impressive help
system and a 250-page manual
should make this sim accessible to
beginners. The real potential here,
though, comes from the huge
third-party FLIGHT SIM support
network. Since gamers can add
new planes, new scenery, and new
missions, this sim could re-create
virtually any WWII era battle.

Otheir^^^

Holiday Flights

F rom the looks of things,
Santa's reindeer are going to
have to be extra careful this
holiday season because the fantasy
skies are going to be crowded with
combat aircraft from just about
every era. All these titles are worth
a look if you're shopping for a
virtual pilot.

SSI's LUFTWAFFE COMMANDER
takes a unique view of WWII air
combat, letting you fly as a
German pilot anytime from the
Spanish Civil War through the fall
of Germany. Great attention to
detail has been paid to the flight
modeling in this historical sim —
the Iron Cross mode promises to
be one of the most authentic
WWII flight models yet. The sim
would easily be in our Top 1 0,
except there's a question about
whether it will ship by Christmas.
The same goes for SSI's 5U-27

FLANKER 2.0. which takes all the
elements that made the original a
favorite of hard-core sim pilots
and adds spectacular 3D graphics
and a less-intimidating flight
mode for more casual pilots. It's a
top choice, but it looks like it may
miss the holiday ship.

Developed by General
Simulations, F-1 6 AGGRESSOR is
the sim to check out if you're
looking for a sim with an Iron
fag/e-style action storyline. You're
a mercenary F-1 6 pilot in this sim,
which sports an impressive 3D
engine and realistic flight model-
ing wrapped around its STRIKE
COMMANDER-ish storyline.

A good choice for Tom Cruise
wanna-bes is MicroProse's TOP
GUN: HORNET'S NEST, which looks
much more impressive than the
version we saw back at this year's
E3. While it's clearly targeted at
the action gamer and the inexperi-
enced flight-sim pilot, the game
now also features a mode with a
reality-based flight model.

stocking i

What better gift for a wanna-be pilot
than a chance to fly the real
thing? Hop on over to
ivi/iAv.faeap/7of.com and ^

sign your favorite PC
pilot up for a S35
introductory flight.

You'll be able to
print out a
coupon that your
gift recipient can take to a
nearby flight school and get an
introductory flying lesson for less than
the price of a single game.

Chances are your favorite PC pilot is also a bit of an aviation
nut. If so, what better to decorate his or her computer area
with than aviation art? Sure, there are beautiful prints avail-
able depicting actual World War II combat, but we think Hank
Caruso's Aerocatures prints and calendars best befit the atti-
tude of the typical flight-sim fan. Imagine a bug-eyed MiG-29
having its tail munched by an anthropomorphic F-15... Well,
they’re funnier than they sound. Pick up the calendar for a full
year of wacky aviation fun.

Hank Caruso's Aerocatures, (301) 863-9939,
http://tiger.towson.edu/~acarusl/FF/Aero.htm

While RED BARON II was disap-
pointingly buggy, don't overlook
RED BARON 3D. This updated ver-
sion sports very realistic flight
modeling, massive multiplayer
support, and sharp 3D graphics.
Best of all, purchasers of the origi-
nal RED BARON II can get the new
version free from Sierra.

If you missed Jane's F-1 5, it's a
sure pick for your Christmas list.
The current king of hard-core flight
simulations, it outclasses all other
jet sims in its level of systems and
flight model detail. Also check out
LONGBOW COLLEQION, which fea-
tures a 3Dfx-enhanced version of

special effects and the intriguing
crew-management gameplay ele-
ments. Multiplayer fans would
enjoy a copy of the boxed version
of WARBIROS under the tree. The
S30 program doesn't include much
in the way of offline play, but it
does include $30 worth of free play
in the massively multiplayer
WARBIRDS arena.

Finally, check out Mission
Studios' JETFIGHTER: FULL BURN for
an intriguing blend of action-flight
sim and WING COMMANDER-style
storyline. It's not the most techni-
cally advanced sim out there, but
it packs a hefty fun factor.

LONGBOW GOLD
as well as
LONGBOW 2, all
in a single
package.

Helicopter
fans will want to
check out
Mindscape's
TEAM APACHE for
its impressive

COMPUTgR GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1 998

w.compulergaming

BLOCOi

RucbLe

V^WMwnrScrjvciB I

l«C7;i3r7l-vni-t ■•’]'

Available on PC CD-ROM. Visit your local retailer
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enjoy some KLmqon

"IT'S A GOOD DAY TO DIE"

Goto #224 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

1. IMDEPEWDEWCE WAR

•Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $49.95
' Ocean/Infogrames, (408) 289-1411

www.independencewar.com

SPACE SIMS HAVE

tended to be formulaic over the
past few years. They have empha-
sized fast-paced, WWIi-style com-
bat a la the space scenes in the
Star Wars movies. Although the
pickings are still a bit slim (the
space sim seems to be a niche
genre), this year the field shows
considerably more life and variety
than in recent years. For any
gamer who remotely enjoys the
concept of space flight and com-
bat, the top choice will be
INDEPENDENCE WAR, brought to
you by Ocean and developed by
Particle Systems in England.

INDEPENDENCE WAR is best
known for its Newtonian flight
model. Yes, there have been other
games that employed such a
physics model, but they are either
too old (such as WARHEAD or the
Elite series) or simply not very
playable (think MANTIS or the
MICROSOFT SPACE SIMULATOR).

INDEPENDENCE WAR features a rock-solid physics modei, allowing you
to feel the inertia of the 150-meter-iong corvette you command or
the time-dilation effects when you fly at near-light speed.

INDEPENDENCE WAR features a
rock-solid physics model, allowing
you to feel the inertia of the 1 50-
meter-long corvette you command
or the time-dilation effects when
you fly at near-light speed.

On top of that solid foundation,
INDEPENDENCE WAR butids great
mission design. Instead of run-of-
the-mill "fly around and kill lots of
fighters" missions, INDEPENDENCE
WAR has you laying traps for
nefarious pirates, finding and
repairing malfunctioned satellites,
and catching antimatter bombs,
among other things.

In addition, INDEPENDENCE WAR
utilizes 3Dfx cards to their fullest.

yielding improved ship exteriors,
nebulae, missile smoke trails, and
shielding effects.

While it may not have multi-
player action, everything else
about INDEPENDENCE WAR is first-
class.The 3D-accelerated graphics,
the mission design, and the
physics engine combine to make
INDEPENDENCE WAR a unique
space sim after years of clones. No
other game has managed to cap-
ture the feel of space combat in
addition to the feel of command-
ing a large starship. It's for these
reasons that INDEPENDENCE WAR
is the best pick for space-sim fans
this Christmas.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

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lor, lAC. A3D and Auieal are trademarki ol Auiaal Semiconduclor Inc. Other Iradeinarke are properllet of Iheir catpcellYi oanets. Acll
Inc, RIlual and Sin art trademarki ol Ritual EnletlalninenI, Sin Imitet arc coprrlihlB Ritual Enlailalnmenl. Monitor Sound ii o re|l
Iter CtkIaC. All trade nimai referenced arc the lenlco mark, liademark, oi legliloied tridemaikt ol Iheli leipective manulacluicci,

Go to #271 @ www.computergamlng.com/lnfolink

wor

®1998 Ripcord Games. ©1996 Micro Forte Pt/. Limited. All Rights
Reserved. Enmiy Infestotion is o trademark oF Panasonic Interactive
Medio Company. Clockworki and Micro Forte are Irodemadcs of
Micro Forte Pty. limited. . ^

All other trodemorks ore the property oF their respective companies.

e in the search for life
’sQnly one will survive

Imagine the Earth. Ravaged by
famine. Unable to sustain life.

Reliant upon plants and minerals

harvested on a distant world.

j Imagine a race of vicious aliens.
Hurtling through space.

Desperately searching for nourishment. Willing to stop at nothing to get it.
Two species. Determined to survive. Two worlds. Destine to collide.

Get ready for the most intense real-time battle in the universe. Blast your
way through 5 colonial bases and 50 brain-crunching scenarios-all in
isometric, retina-frying 3D.

Choose from 5 different types
of characters, each with its own
special function, and a random
arsenal of weapons. Go it alone

or team up with your friends

over the internet.

If you made it through Starcraft'", it’s time to meet the real enemy.

Go to #096 @ www.computergamlng.com/infollnk

E ry

■< ^

1 ri i-

ig- 1 g n

For ordering information call 1-888-797-5867.
Pre-order at your local retailer today!
www.ripcordgames.coni

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

2. HEAVY GEAR II

3. STARSIEGE

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM. STBA
Activision, (310) 255-2000
wvvw.activision.com

AFTER LOSING ITS

Battletech license. Activision
acquired the Heavy Gear license
from Dream Pod 9, only to pre-
miere with the lackluster HEAVY
GEAR. On the heels of that experi-
ence, Activision scrapped its aging
MECHWARRIOR 2 engine and cre-
ated a whole new 3D-only engine,
enabling it to redesign HEAVY
GEAR II from the ground up.

HEAVY GEAR II uses Activislon's
new Dark Side engine, which
allows for much better graphics at
faster frame-rates compared to
the previous engine. The terrain is
true 3D rather than polygons
slapped on top of each other, but
you'll need a 3D accelerator card
as a consequence. You're placed in
a Special Ops unit behind enemy
lines, so your missions will vary to
include stealthily tailing enemy
convoys and conducting guerrilla-
style assaults in cities.

The gameplay for HEAVY GEAR
II will be quite different from what
giant robot sim fans are used to.
Because the Weavy Gear universe

franchise, and it seems to be back-
ing up its words with actions.

The new engine looks several
orders of magnitude better than
the company's previous efforts,
with the Cybrid designs benefiting
the most. The interface screens
look promising, the vehicle list is
quite varied, and the game as a
whole looks to be a big improve-
ment over its predecessors.

models foot soldiers Instead of
vehicles, the game takes on more
of a QUAKE-style action feel. Don't
be fooled by that assess-
ment though, because even
though it feels like a first-
person shooter at times,
the use of squad tactics
will make it more complex.

As the squad leader, you’ll
be able to use a tactical
map and command your
Gears to pull off various
maneuvers and tactics.

The game features 40
single-player and 40 multi-
player missions, and multi-
player action will range
from pure deathmatch to
squad-versus-squad level
battles. HEAVY GEAR II
looks as if it will be a great
follow-up to Activision's
MECHWARRIOR legacy.

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S49.95
Sierra/Dynamix, (800) 757-7707

www.sierra.com

ANYONE WHO HAS SPENT

any time with EARTHSiEGE and
EARTHSIEGE 2 might be tempted to
skip right past this, the third in the

EarthSiege series. That may not be
such a good idea, however;
Dynamix has big plans for this

As this guide went to press,
STARSIEGE was in an alpha-
technology release phase, so we
haven't yet seen any single-
player missions, enemy Al, or
campaign layouts. However, the
game's producer emphasized
that his group is committed to
doing this game right and noted
that Dynamix and its parent
company. Sierra, have assured
him that there will be no

pressure to release STARSIEGE
before it's ready. That is probably
more encouraging than anything
else we've heard, so be sure to
keep this title on your radar. If
the design team manages to pull
off what they have planned, we
may have a new contender for
this genre's throne. We'll keep
you apprised of STARSlEGE's
development in upcoming issues

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

4. DE5CEMT: FREE5PACE

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S49.95
Interplay, (800) 468-3775

wvvw.interplay.com

With an expansion pack soon to
be available, this is a solid space
Sim to invest in.

the time you read this, the GOLD
EDITION, which includes both the
original release and SECRET OPS
(the stand-alone expansion pack

that was released on the Internet),
will be available in stores. This
complete package is a good pick
for WING COMMANDER fans.

THE STAR WARS SIMS

and the Wing Commanc/er games
have dominated the space-sim
genre for the past couple of years,
but that could change with
DESCENT: FREESPACE, the initial
entry into the genre by Volition.
Published by Interplay, this sim is
still a clone, but it's the best clone
of the bunch. It effectively com-
bines aspects of both the Star
kVars and the Wing Commander
games to make for an extremely
playable game. FREESPACE's main
highlights are the excellent wing-
men Al, the customizable controls
and HUD, and the free campaign
editor to extend its shelf life after
you finish the main campaign.

'GOtPEP/nOW

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S39.95
Origin, 800-245-4525
www.origtn.ea.com

THE AGE-OLD SPACE-SIM

series makes this list again. This
title was No. 1 on last year's list,
and it's still a great WING
COMMANDER game. It features
gameplay reminiscent of earlier
WING COMMANDER games, has
less annoying FMV, and sports
some of the most beautiful graph-
ics ever seen in a space sim. By

Stocking

Stutter

M ost space simmers are
sci-fi fans, and most
sci-fi fans are sci-fi
video fans. So our picks for
stocking stuffers include
either the DVD version of
2001: A Space Odyssey
or the 13-episode Neon
Genesis Evangelion
series (perhaps the best
sci-fi anime out now, typi-
cally S25 per tape for the
subtitled version). Finally,
Heavy gear fans might like any of the items from
the Heavy Gear roie-piaying game, such as the
miniatures or the sourcebooks (at game stores or
http://www.dp9.com/Products/lndex.htm),

Other Space

S25B?!

nother space-combat

A sim worthy of note is
the newly released
ARES RISING, created by
members of the original
PRIVATEER team. Those
i gamers who never experi-
enced the original Star Wars
sims can pick up the X-WING
COLLEaoRS SERIES, which has
3D-accelerated versions of

both X-WING and TIE
FIGHTER. If you followed
Derek Smart's saga at all but
never got the original, you
might want to check out the
rereleased (and complete)
BAHLECRUISER 3000AD put
out by Interplay. Finally, if
you're a Star Trekian, you
should check out KUNGON
ACADEMY, which is the
Klingon version of the pre-
viously released STARFLEET
ACADEMY.

'/.computerKiiming.c

CO/VIPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1996

rFIFAM/^
WORLD CUP 98

Windows 95 CO-ROM, $49.95
EA Sports, (650) 571-7171

www.easports.com

EVERY FOUR YEARS COMES

a tournament of truly world-class
proportions: the World Cup.
Athletes from every corner of the
globe gather to sort the best from
the rest in this, one of the world's
most encompassing competitions.
For a company to make a com-
puter game that fully captures the
glory and grandeur of World Cup
soccer is no easy feat. Yet this is
exactly what EA Sports has done
with not one, but two titles.

FIFA ROAD TO WORLD CUP 98
(FIFA 98) comes from a fine lin-
eage of soccer titles, it's true, but
this game does for computer soc-
cer what Ronaldo does for the
real thing; It takes the game to a
new level. FIFA 98 is unmatched
in terms of gameplay, game
options, choice of stadiums,
choice of teams, player and team

Play FIFA 98 on a high-res monitor with a 3Dfx
card, and you'll almost be convinced you're
watching a soccer game on television.

Team Select

^ Spain

^ S MsCriC

>■

^ Juoentus ^

snooting

wwwwiv

/////////

Stiooting

SpeeC

uwwmv

//////#//

Speu!

Passing

wwwww

/////////

Passing

Defense

wwwww

//////////

Defense

■ Oue/all

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umnh

Ouerall

customization — the list goes
on and on. Plus, to say this
game is beautiful is a tragic
understatement. Play FIFA
98 on a high-res monitor
with a 3Dfx card, and you'll
almost be convinced you're
watching a soccer game on
television. The commentary
is another area in which
FIFA 98 excels: Comments
by UK broadcasters Andy
Grey and John Motson are
dead on and always appro-
priate to the situation.

WORLD CUP 98 is basically
FIFA 98, with a marginally
better A1 and up-to-the-
minute (as of June 1998)

rosters for the 1 998 World Cup
qualifying teams. It's a fantastic
game, but we'd choose FIFA 98
for the most variety in terms of
teams and even entire leagues.
The designers modeled teams and
uniforms for 189 clubs in 11
national leagues — and they
included accurate rosters for all of
them! It's all in the details, folks.

Of course, since FIFA 99 is due
out any minute, all of this infor-
mation may be superseded by the
new game — if EA Sports follows
its pattern of offering better and
better titles. Regardless, though,
definitely include FIFA 98 or
WORLD CUP 98 on your holiday
shopping list.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

iputergaming.c

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

2. MAPDEM NFL 99

3. VR BASEBALL 2000;

NEXT GEMERATIOW

BASEBALL

given us new hope. Interplay's
first version of its baseball title
last year was underwhelming at
best, so we had no expecta-
tions this year. But once we got
our hands on VR BASEBALL
2000, we were shocked — and
then sold. First of all, the graph-
ics have been completely over-
hauled using Shiny Entertain-
ment's MESSIAH engine, and the
result is by far the b^est looking,
most realistic looking ballplay-
ers to date, bar none.

More importantly, of course,
is how the game plays. And
again, we were impressed
beyond all expectations. For
one, pitcher/batter duels now
actually make some semblance
of sense — with Al pitchers and
hitters acting and reacting as
you might expect, and user con-
trolled players being much
easier to control. Fielding,
always a huge problem in base-
ball sims, has been made quite
functional here, with a sliding
scale of difficulty. Next year's
version promises to be even
better, with the incorporation of
the DIAMOND MIND BASEBALL
statistical engine. But for now,
VR BASEBALL 2000 will provide
the kind of fun baseball action
that a host of bigger name titles
have failed to deliver this year.

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 549.95
EA Sports, {650) 571-7171

www.easports.com

MADDEN USED TO BE

the crown jewel in the EA Sports
empire, but a couple of mediocre
seasons have put the franchise
almost into the underdog role. We
say almost because, lucky for EA,
there hasn't been much decent
competition on the PC anyway.

But that hasn't stopped EA from
wanting to improve the game. The
company is now readying the best
edition of MADDEN in years (it will

be out as you read this), one that
we hope to be able to love with-
out dozens of caveats. First, EA
Sports (through developer Tiburon
Software — responsible for last
year's superior PlayStation ver-
sion) has finally, belatedly.

replaced the game's
2D sprites with a full
3D polygonal engine.

This, along with
player-specific
motion captures and
a variety of body
types, gives the
game a much more
real and dynamic
look than ever
before. After two
long, kludgy seasons,
football action jock-
eys can finally expect
the kind of slick
arcade action avail-
able in EA's other big
franchises. For new-
bies, EA has added a
"one-button" mode, c
let players run plays with just one
gamepad or keyboard button,
rather than having to memorize a
whole gamepad worth of key
combinations. A new franchise
mode lets you create fantasy
teams and run them over multiple
seasons, while team-specific play-
books and a new play editor aim
to add the kind of depth and real-
ism long missing from the fran-
chise (we used to win games with
one play, repeated endlessly). With
its reputation on the line, the
stakes are high for MADDEN. But
just as we saw with that creaky

uiu Livvay ^uy ia:>L 3ca:>uii,

a comeback season from every-
one's longtime favorite.

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 539.95
VR Sports, (949) 553-6655

www.vrsports.com

IN THE REAL WORLD,

1 998 provided one of the greatest
baseball seasons in decades. On
the morning this was written, in
fact, the country
woke to learn that
Mark McGwire had
smashed the single-
season home run
record.

Unfortunately,
baseball's remark-
able turnaround
since the 1994 strike
has not been dupli-
cated on the PC.

^ We've seen one
is mediocre title after
another the past
few years. We'd
pretty much given
up on 1998, but a
13th-hour appear-
ance of a most
unexpected title, VR
BASEBALL 2000, has

«omputergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1996

ig over 200 countries/^

N172NU

• ' 200'"’ 40
ilM

«**i ■

y.«o iw.

More than 9,000 airports; and 30,000 navaids.
territories, and islandsi 'iFive accurate aim

^^ deis (including singlp»,:.J[

prop, dual prop, turboprop, and business jet) bwd on specifications
performance data frotn actuai aircraft manufactu^rs. • Accurate airctare^^’ ' '

pon model allow for

miportiiig NOAA METAR '■
B) interacts K||,you for '

pockpits and avionics,talf.in the correct proportjmBnd layout from original j
aircraft • Terrain sy^ and global digital j^b on model allow for
realistic flight all "ve^^ worid. r Fly at am^^^ or yeact in a
variety of user-defined father conditions, onplfiportiiig NOAA METAR '■ ‘
weather reports. • Realistic voice air traffic contio|^) interacts K|),you for '
ground control, tower, approach, departure, and regional oenfer operations.

• Designed for expandability. Look for future aircraft and scenery expansion
packs, as well as end-user editing tools. • Five scenery areas with continuous
satellite imagery, covering 50,000 square miles of area. • Integrated flight
planner and aircraft load-^out, allowing visual planning of cross-country
flights and user-defined fuel, passenger,. :^d lo^ds. • Native 3D

hardware support for MicrosaftpirecUD, 311fx Glide, Rendition Redlinp, NEGrr^j;.,: , .
PowerVR, and Apple RAVE. • Join up to 7 friends in an Internet flight party, '

with text and full voice chat support

■C 1996. THE CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY, Wiibtib). Xmas

FLY! Is a trailernarft of Terminal Reality. Terminal Realrty rs a Irarfeoaatk of Tetmirral Reality
Inc. Gathering ol Deu8iopei;s and godgainaerefe trademarks of Gathering of Developers, Inc.
All other icademarlis and ffade names aw^xroperties of their eespeeiKe owners. ?> t9M
Gathering ol Developers, foe.

‘FLY! IS SET TO ADVANCE THE CIVILIAN
FLIGHT SIM GENRE BY TWO GENERATIONS

-UemyMK\a,l^omputer earning V^orld

34.5 nn
BQi'o:3e.l2
RMI 1300
fiNHUN ON

+++++0++!+-i
flit 1560ft
OBS 2100
Pass Ok1

wvnv.||odu3tnes.Goin

lal cockpit and-runwey screenshot

Go to #060 @ www.computergaming.com/infolInk

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

4. LINKS LS '99

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $79,95
Access Software incorporated,

(800) 793-0073

www.accesssoftware.com

THE PRETENDERS COME

and go, but LINKS goes on forever.
The granddaddy of golf sims

player animations and 3D models
improving the game's already
stunning, state-of-the-art graph-
ics. This year, EA is trying harder
to please the hockey diehards
who have long scoffed at the
game's realism. It has improved
puck physics and included a
stronger Al that should make

practice a variety of specific
situations, like breakaways and
power plays. This is PC sports
action at its frenzied finest.

6. NBA LIVE 99

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 549.95
EA Sports, (650) 571-7171

www.easports.com

YET ANOTHER STRONG

title from all-dominant EA Sports,
CGW's 1996 Sports Game of the
Year continues to improve each
season, with virtually no competi-
tion. This year’s model continues

5. NHL 99

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 549.95
EA Sports, (650) 571-7171

www.easports.com

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER

version of EA Sports' monster
NHL franchise. NHL 99 should
prove no less popular than any
previous version, with all new

returns for its latest round with a
brand-new course, Scotland's
St. Andrews Links Old Course, and
other new features to keep the
game alive for new and veteran
players. Gameplay has been
beefed up to include about 30
modes of play as well as an editor
that enables you to create and
modify your own game rules. A
tournament environment has been
added as well as the ability to
watch others and engage in voice-
chat over the internet during mul-
tiplayer games. Access has cleaned
up the interface and a mouse
swing in addition to the standard
meter. LINKS LS is a perennial five-
star game from a company that
knows golf inside out. A sure bet
for the desktop duffer in your life,

computer-controlled players
respond more properly to game
situations. EA is also reaching out
to hockey neophytes with a new
Beginner mode (with most rules
toggled off) and coaching drills
from Marc Crawford, in which
you can compete with different
combinations of players and

that trend, with some new and
interesting features. The game's 3D
engine is more sophisticated this
year, with smoother and more real-
istic animation (including changing
facial expressions). The GM mode
lets you draft a custom fantasy
team and league and play up to 1 0
seasons. And at last, you'll be able
to download free updated rosters
directly from EA's Web site. Arcade
mode has coin-op style "monster
jam" animations, while practice
mode lets you play on outdoor
courts. See our sneak preview
elsewhere in this issue.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

if.computergaming.c

ny the hot new computer game Guns & Ammo:
Now at Wal-Mart.

Have fun, test your skill, compete with friends, relieve tension, try a hundred different
kinds of guns. It's all yours with the new PC compatible game. Guns St Ammo®,

Rifle range, skeet range and pop-up targets along with the military, high tech and
collectible guns and authentic sounds, make this a must for shooting enthusiasts.
Add to that Wal-Mart's Every Day Low Price, and you've got a sure fire winner.

www.wal-marl.com

WAL-MART

ALWAYS LOW PRICES.

Go to #232 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

GameDealer.coit!

play games

T-Shirt with eveiy
order over $50.

Lots of Information
Prompt Delivery

»ealerci33CG

THE INTERNET'S GAME SUPERSTORE

GREAT PRICES ON THESE TITLES & MORE

1 - 800 - 610-2614

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SNOW BUNNIES RETURN FIRE 2 COMMANDOS

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Fax 1-212-387-8021 International 1-212-3S8-9100

* S4.00 rate US Priority Mall, US orclers only. Additional shipping methods

^ • ■> • ■ ^11 r]g{,){ reserved. The GameDeater logo. The Internet's Game Superstore ond I Play Gomes ore trademarks or

251 Park Ave Sooth New York, NY 10010

available. ** All orders placed before November 25, 1998.

only M

$4.00 Shipping* registered trademarks of AclionWorld, Inc. in the US and other countries. All other trodemarks belong to their respective owners.

Go to #295 @ www.computergaming.com/lnfollnk

# # ^ H-

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

7. BASEBALL MOGUL 99|

Windows 95 CD-ROM, STBA
Infinite Monkey Systems,

(800) 229-2714

www.imonkey.com

OUR SLEEPER 1997

Sports Game of the Year returns
for an encore this fall, with all
sorts of new stuff to keep base-
ball geeks in hog heaven for
another year. Eschewing action
glitz for hard-core baseball
strategy, BASEBALL MOGUL puts

you in the role of GM and man-
ager of the team of your choice
and gives you the chance to build
a dynasty. The new version has
updated rosters, including the
1998 expansion teams as well as
a city editor and league editor
that let you customize your
league much more dynamically.
Also included is a multiplayer
mode — great news for the fanta-
sy league fans for whom this
game holds tremendous appeal.

8. NCAA FOOTBAU 99

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 549.95
EA Sports, (650) 571-7171

vvww.easports.com

Well, WHADDYA know? Another EA Sports title makes the list,
ITiat's what happens when one company dominates a genre. In this
case, what we have is the best college football game in years. It's not as
pretty as MADDEN, and there are some annoying bugs, but what it
offers is an unprecedented level of college football mayhem. All 1 12
Division 1-A teams are here, along with all the major bowl games and
40 historic games to choose from. Best of all is the Dynasty mode,
which lets you play multiple seasons and recruit new players (reminis-
cent of GTE's late, great NCAA BASKETBALL).

SjFRONTOFFICE

footbalT"^™

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 534.95
Solecismic Software,

(888) 379-7878

www.s0leci5mic.com

TAKING ITS CUE
FROM BASEBALL
MOGUL. FRONT OFFICE
FOOTBALL, from tiny
startup Solecismic
Software, takes you off
the field and into the
general manager's
chair — this time in the
world of the NFL. Part strategy, part role-playing, and rooted deep in the
numbers of football, FRONT OFFICE FOOTBALL challenges you to take a
football franchise and guide it on the road to financial success. Build sta-
diums; futz with ticket prices; hire decent scouting and coaching staffs;
and keep your player roster strong through trades, drafts, and contract
negotiations. This low-budget affair is no MADDEN, but it's a dream of a
simulation for the fanatical sports geek and inner Al Davis in us all.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

v.computefgaming.(

Valuable Coupons-For
You And A Friend!

: It's easier than you thought to get yourself
and a friend into Internet play with Links LS 1999!

Rebate From

^ACCESS

Just send in this coupon with your original receipt for Links
LS '99 along with your name, full address and phone number.

Send to: Access Software Inc.

4750 Wiley Post Way, Bldg. 1 Suite 200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116

One coupon per customer. Offer not valid with any other
promotion. Good only on FULL version of Links LS 1999 Edition.
Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Expires Jan. 31 , 1 999

Rebate From

MfACCESS

Just send in this coupon with your original receipt for Links
LS '99 along with your name, full address and phone number.

Send to: Access Software Inc.

4750 Wiley Post Way, Bldg. 1 Suite 200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116

1999

ways to
swing it!

Four real world-class golf
courses have been stunningly
and accurately recreated for
desktop play! Along with
Pennsylvania's Latrobe
Country Club (now in
beautiful fall foliage),
Links LS '99 features the
birthplace of golf itself —
St Andrews Links Old
Course of Bonny, Scotland!
Also Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club
& Lodge in Orlando, FL, and the
gorgeous red cliffs of Entrada at
Snow Canyon in Southern Utah.

New Courses!

(Clockwise from top) Entrada at Snow
Canyon, St Andrews Links Old Course,
Latrobe Country Club, and Arnold
Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

One coupon per customer. Offer not valid with any other
promotion. Good only on FULL version of Links LS 1999 Edition.
Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Expires Jan. 31 , 1 999

Internet play is now more exciting than ever
with new “Internet Spectators" and Real-
Time Voice Chat. Friends (or opponents) can
watch you in action from across the internet
and contribute real-time advice or criticism.

TVvo New Swing Options —

PowerStroke mouse swing and 3-Click mouse
swing options energize game play with new challenges
in addition to our original 2-click mouse swing.

"Links LS....the greatest PC golf
experience possible. Why pick this one? For the avid golfer
in the family. Links LS will be an instant and unkickable
addiction . " —PC Games

• NEW mode of play (MOP) game designer

• NEW specialty shots

A new iUlode Of
Play (/UlOP) Game

Designer! Gives you the ability
to create your own games and swap them
with your friends! Unlimited possibilities
as you make up your own games! We've
even included over 30 new MOPs
to get you started in taking your game
enjoyment to a higher level I

Links LS 1999 is compatible with over
25 expansion courses (sold separately)
from Access Software

Is It Real Or Is It Links LS '99?

Compare the difference between
the screen capture and the actual
photo taken at the Bay Hill Club
and Lodge.

www.AccessSoftware.com

25 New

uns!

New Tournament
Environment Immerses

you in a tournament atmosphere
with galleries of thousands to cheer your
every every shot! Realistic details include crowds
of people with noises, press cameramen,
media vehicles, officials.

ropes,

grandstands,
leaderboards,
and camera

towers!

Go to #079 @ www.computergamlng.com/lnfolink

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

10. SPORTING CLAYS

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S24.99
WizardWorks. (800) 229-2714

www.wizworks.com

SPORTING CLAYS IS THE

rare standout in the overcrowded
hunting genre. Why does it stand
out? Because it’s actually fun to
play, Unlike the myriad "Stand-in-
the-woods-and-shoot-once-in-a-
blue-moon" games, in SPORTING

CLAYS, you're in a five-stand tour-
nament, constantly blasting away
at a good variety of clay targets.
Plus, you don't actually kill any
creatures, which is a plus for all
the environmental goodie-two-
shoes out there, Don't kid yourself,
though, this game is difficult at the
hardest settings: yet it's really
accessible and fun to play. You can
also hotseat against your buddies,
which is, well, a blast.

Stocking Stuff er

I uch as we are
normally loath
to recommend any-
thing having to do
with either a) real
life or b) exercise,
we'd like to go out
on a limb and sug-
gest that CGW sports
fans do something
wacky this holiday sea-
son: Buy a football
and go outside. Grab
some friends, your kid,
your spouse — and toss that
thing around the park.

Believe it or not, you won't
even need a gamepad. Weird, huh?

If the sports freak in your life is already wasting most of his
or her life in front of the TV or a computer game, you might as
well make it twice as bad with an annual "Insider" subscrip-
tion to ESPN's Web site (539.95). ESPN's main site is free,
but with the subscription you get access to tons of additional
columns and articles and, best of all, a 510 discount on ESPN's
excellent fantasy games. For info, call (888) 549-3776.

other Sports Stuff

T here are a ton of other sports
titles on the way over the com-
ing months, and believe it or not,
they're not all coming from EA.

One game that almost made
this list is NFL GAMEDAY '99, the
first PC version of Sony's long-
running PlayStation hit. The game
is not great (see our full review
elsewhere in this issue), but it's
definitely worth it for those inter-
ested in multiplayer action over
the Internet— its big advantage
over MADDEN. More PC action
can be had this year from two
games: Acclaim's NFL QUARTER-
BACK CLUB '99, a game whose
predecessor surprised us with its
better-than-average arcade play:
and Midway's NFL BLITZ, the PC
version of the coin-op smash,
which has absolutely nothing to
do with real-life football (and will
probably offend those who actu-
ally care about the sport) but is
one of those annoyingly addictive
guilty pleasures.

Sierra has finally retired its
long-running FRONT PAGE SPORTS
line but is still serious about stay-
ing in the sports gaming biz. Its
biggest release, which probably
would have made our main list if
it had been further along, is NFL
FOOTBALL PRO '99, the latest ver-
sion of the deepest, most serious
football simulation in PC gaming
history — and the winner of
CGW's Sports Game of the Year
award three times in a row earlier
this decade. Sierra is completely

revamping the title, with a new
3D engine and an even more
detailed managerial mode, includ-
ing a financial model that influ-
ences roster maneuvering. We
have high hopes for this one.

Let's hope Sierra pulls it off.

Look out for BASKETBALL PRO 99,
which Sierra touts as the hoops
equivalent of its football title, with
an emphasis on both league man-
agement and on-court action.

One of the challengers making
the most noise at E3 this year

was ESPN Digital Games, which
has two titles on the way: NBA
TONIGHT and NATIONAL HOCKEY
TONIGHT. Designed by the sports
wonks at Radical Entertainment
(NHL POWERPLAY) and gussied up
with the kind of glitz that the
ESPN license will buy. both
games hold a great amount of
promise — though we haven't
seen enough to recommend
them yet. Look for these games
to at least outclass Fox Sports'
unimpressive debut titles this
year (which we admit isn't saying
that much). As we went to press,
however, Radical's future was in
doubt, due to a persistent rumor of
a buyout by— gulp— EA Sports.

Speaking of EA Sports, it has
another couple of titles under its
belt. TIGER WOODS '99. reviewed
elsewhere in this issue, might be a
good choice for golfers, while
KNOCKOUT KINGS lets you get into
the ring and float like a butterfly
with some of the greatest (includ-
ing The Greatest) boxers of all
time. Yeah, baby, yeah!

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1 998

.i.computefgaiiiing.c

■Rudolph Worried!

• Sania iivav la$i Men Christmas l-vi
(loklvii 'fee (lolt'giime!"

^meaumt n jiiidniauiicxaoto iha

Go to #228 @ www.computergaming.com/lnfolink

■

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The Perfect Gift Under Your Tree!

Now available at a store near you!

Voted 1998 Most Played
Video Game of the Year*

Lightning Fast Arcade
Style Came Play

Three 18 Hole Courses in a
Variety of Multiplayer Options

TrackSwing’“ Technology:
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■Voted 1990 most played coin-opeiaied game of the year by Amusement Machine Operators Association.

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© 1998 InterAct Accessories, Inc. A RECOTON COMPANY, All rights reserved. Advenf- and Powered Partners'' are trademarks of Recoton Corporation. Unreal™ © 1998 Epic
Megagames, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Created by Epic Megagames, Inc. in collaboration with Digital Extremes. Published and distributed by GT Interactive Software Corp.

I^DVENT

Available through COMP^^I and or other fine retailers.

Escape to a gaming experience like
nothing you've ever imagined. With
Advent Powered Partners sound systems,
you'll feel those relentless Brutes and
15-ton Titans-long before you see them.
No doubt Advent's unreal power will save
your so-called life. Powered Partners. For
intense sound the way it was meant to be
heard, and gaming that is absolutely unreal.

rFIRACING

SIMULATION

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $29.99
Ubi Soft Entertainment, (415) 547-4000

www.ubisoft.com

FOR AT LEAST THE PAST

five years, MicroProse's GRAND
PRIX (WORLD CIRCUIT) was syn-
onymous with Formula One racing
on the PC for two excellent rea-
sons: 1) It was the best FI racing
simulation available, and 2) it was
the only FI racing simulation
available. Now, Ubi Soft's FI
RACING SIMULATION (don’t be con-
fused with the straightforward
title) may have just claimed the
top spot on the podium over the
aging GRAND PRIX 11.

Bear in mind that we're talking
about computer simulations here,
so if you're new to computer
gaming, don't compare this to an
FI game you might have played
on your PlayStation. FI RACING
SIMULATION is as realistic as they

'""leB.ra 030“'"

FI RACING SIMULATION fires on all cylinders with well-
thought-out design, ingenious programming, and

artwork that's rendered for the speed of racing.

come. Yet for all the precision and
practice required to drive these
cars competitively, FI RACING
SIMULATION was designed with
the beginner and novice in
mind— there are plenty of driving
aids to help you turn a clean lap,
all of which you can toggle off as
you start to gain confidence.

For the veteran simulation driver,
FI RACING SIMULATION is as accu-
rate and satisfying a racing experi-
ence as GRAND PRIX II was. but FI
turns up the graphical standard a
few notches with the help of 3D

hardware support. The handling of
the car model is smooth and con-
sistent. And while the computer
opponents can be aggressive, their
moves are usually predictable.

FI RACING SIMULATION fires on
all cylinders with well-thought-out
design, ingenious programming,
and artwork that's rendered for
the speed of racing. In the past,
only MicroProse and Papyrus
seemed to have a lock on com-
puter racing simulations. Now, Ubi
Soft might be frequenting your
racing game podium.

lik COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 199B

i/.computerganiing,(

THli MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WE’VE EVER SEEN IN A PC GAMING TITLEJ" - COMPUTER GAMING WORLD

aiL^-N

^qiNQ ip'PjHf-

YOU ARE ALONE, WASHED ASHORE ON INGEN'S REMOTE RESEARCH ISLAND,
SITE B, IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE LOST WORLD EXPEDITION. BEFORE
YOU LIES A DENSE, TROPICAL JUNGLE FILLED WITH PREHISTORIC
CARNIVORES THAT ARE VERY MUCH ALIVE. YOUR ONLY CHANCE OF
SURVIVAL IS TO USE YOUR WITS TO BATTLE THE RELENTLESS WILD-
LIFE WITH ANYTHING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON.

XReS-I>A:S:1tHR:

THE EVOLUTION OF 1ST PERSON 3-D GAMING.

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

li:rV ' ■!

2^RAND_

PRiloEGEWDs'

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $49.95
Sierra Sports, (541) 343-0772

www.sierra5p0rts.com

SOME MIGHT CALL 1967

the glory days of auto racing. It
was the year before tobacco com-
panies showed interest in — and
showered big bucks on — FI rac-
ing teams. It was also the year
before aerodynamics were seri-
ously considered;/* inverted wings
would be a part of car design
thereafter. Others might call it sui-
cide. Many drivers (and not a few
fans) met an untimely demise at
the racetrack since safety was less
of a concern than it is today. You
can call it what you like after you
take a few cautious laps around
the track in one of these machines
in GRAND PRIX LEGENDS, Papyrus'
latest addition to its long list of
classic driving simulations.

GRAND PRIX LEGENDS letsyou
jump in at the start of the 1 967
Formula One season with the
team of your choice. Start at the
top with Team Lotus and the super
duo of Graham Hill and Jimmy
Clark, Or choose to join young
Scottish driver Jimmy Stuart with
team BRM.

GRAND PRiX LEGENDS offers a
unique style and era of racing.
While most new driving games

look to modern era cars, the rac-
ing enthusiasts at Papyrus decided
to take a look back at what was
arguably a more romantic era of
auto racing. As for racing enthusi-
asts like us, we can't wait to get a
chance to race in 1967.

EA'S POPULAR SPORTS

car racing game makes a grand
return this year with a new
graphics engine that's nothing

short of spectacular.

The development
team has really
squeezed out every-
thing today's 3D
cards have to offer.

Blowing leaves,
spraying water, and
billowing snow are
just a few of the spe-
cial effects that will
amaze you. The cars
are polished to a mirrorlike shine,
so you can see the sometimes
fantastical surroundings reflected
on the car bodies as you drive by.
If you don't own a 3D card yet,
NFSIll might be
one of the best
reasons to run out
and buy one.

Like the previous
entries in the NEED
FOR SPEED series,
NFSIll also supplies
plenty of nicely
modeled sports
cars to take out on
the open road. Go
for raw power in
the Lamborghini
Countache or the

Ferrari F355 FI . Or take a more
leisurely drive in the Jaguar XK8
or the Aston Martin, with enough
sports car handling for fun.

One of the most fun parts of
the game is the Hot Pursuit
mode — the obstacles aren't just
your opponents and the slower
traffic. You'll have to watch out
for the police cars; officers are
poised with ticket books in hand,
hoping to bring a premature end
to your day. But you've come pre-
pared with a police scanner and a
radar detector. Or you can choose
to be the pursuer in either a spe-
cially modified Corvette or Lam-
borghini squad car. In NFSIll, it's
not just the speeders who get to
have all the fun.

EKmaHEmna

HOT PURSUIT

Windows 95 CD-ROM, $49.95
Electronic Arts, (415) 571-7171

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

iputergaming.com

'ou control the Linear
Displacement Drive

You control the
Particle Beam Canons

[You control the Critical
I Systems Engineering

It't 2SBa. you've been recruited to command a Dreadnought
clott starship in the Commonu/ealth Kavy. Tifhtin^ an
unpredictable and relentless enemy, the renegade Indies,
you u/ill need much more than your Particle Beam Canons to
u/in the Independence IVar. It's time to tahe control of your
ship, your crew, and the future In the bi^^est and deepest
space campaign the Galaxy has ever seen.

DOUNLOAD THE BEflO AT« independencewar • com

PARTICLE

SYSTEMS

1998 Infogrames Entertainment Inc./ Particle Systems Ltd.
Go to #118 @ www.computergaming.com/infollnk

ONE MAN MSAINSTIUI EMPIRE

BETHESBA SOFWK mm m ACTION-ADI/ENTORE EPIC « LIFETIHE

FEAHIRNGJN EVOLVING STORY ra SWASHBUCKLING DUELS ^LIVING 3D WORLD

Go to #177 @ www.computergamIng.com/infolink
Bettiesda Softworks • 1370 Piccard Ortve, Rockville, MD 20850 • Fax: 301 926-8010 • www.belhsotl.com
Betti8S(laSoftv/otks'“. The Elder Scrolls*, and Redguard'“ateirademarks o( Media Technology Umiied. Copyright ©1998 Media Technology Limited. All ngWs reserved. TheSDfx logo is a trademark of3Dlx Interactive, tnc.

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

AMOTOCROSS

MADMESS

Windows 95 CD-ROM. S54.95
Microsoft, (425) 882-8080

www.microsoft.com

5. MOTO RACER 2

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 549,95
Electronic Arts, (415)571-7171

www.ea.com

AS ONE OF FIVE MOTORCYCLE

FOR ANYONE WHO LIKED

to jump off ramps on their bike as
a kid, this game might let you
relive some of that excitement —
without the fear of broken bones.
You really get a sense of the scale
of this game when you enter the
Stunt Quarry — a vast, uncluttered
stretch of terrain with lots of
ravines, mounds, and hills from

which to catch serious air and per-
form spectacular jumps to your
childish heart's content.

You can also enter a variety of
races in which handling and speed
are more important than showing
off (but the crowds love it). There
are Baja Races, Stunt Quarries,
National Races, and the Supercross.

racing games coming out this
year, MOTO RACER 2 builds on the
popularity of its predecessor with
better graphics, more detailed
environments, and a new track
editor that lets you create your
own circuits.

As in the first game, MOTO
RACER 2 provides both high-
powered street bike and dirt bike
ade-style game,
After you
become profi-
cient at riding
both kinds of
bikes, you can
start a season,
during which
you'll be
required to com-
pete on both
kinds of tracks.
Choose a bike
based on a com-
bination of four attributes: top
speed, handling, braking, and
acceleration. Then try to keep up
with the leaders on a high-speed
road course or fly through the air
on the hilly dirt track. It's fun and
challenging to race on both, and
MOTO RACER 2 is the only game
that let's you do it,

Microsoft Force Feedback Steering Wheel

W hat better way to play a racing game then with a driv-
ing wheel and pedal controller? Wheels have been get-
ting better and cheaper lately, and none has excited us
more than Microsoft's Force Feedback Steering Wheel (S199). The
first time you experience the jarring bump of the road, the grind-
ing of metal on metal, even the simple idling of your motor, you'll
never want to go back. Check www.microsoft.com for more info.

More Racing Games

M any more racing games
are coming down the
pike in the next year.
Here are just a few of them.

VIPER RACING from Sierra
Sports brings the same type of
racing game to the PC as the
PlayStation's GRAND TOURISMO.
Start your career as an amateur

driver with no funds and win
races for money to buy upgrades
for your car. Although VIPER
RACING is a full simulation, differ-
ent difficulty levels make it acces-
sible for anyone.

Virgin Interactive Enter-
tainment gets into the driving
game market this year with
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS CAR

RACING, based on the Profes-
sional Sports Car Racing league
that Virgin itself sponsors. The
cars in this league are largely
based on production cars from
Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Volvo,
and several others. They might
not be as fast as a Formula One
car, but they are certainly easier
to handle.

Accolade's TEST DRIVE 5 is the
latest iteration of the popular
arcade racing game, with as
much and even more to offer
than a lot of other racing games:
more cars, more tracks, and
more music tracks. The cars in
TD5 are varied and include
exotic, contemporary sports cars
as well as muscle cars of old.

i/.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

..It;. A

3d scalable graphics engine lets the

GAME RUN ON JUST ABOUT ANY PC AND
TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE
LATEST 3d HARDWARE ACCELERATION
WITH FULL V00D002"’ SUPPORT.

Combat evil forces alone or jump

ONLINE AND WREAK MULTIPLAYER HAVOC
IN AN 8-PLAYER DEATHMATCH.

Manipulate environments in order

TO PROGRESS THROUGH SIX TREACHEROUS,
MISSION-BASED WORLDS.

MORPH INTO FOUR DIFFERENT VEHICLE
TYPES INCLUDING LAND, HOVER,
AMPHIBIOUS AND SUBMERSIBLE.

Tote 18 high-powered weapons

INCLUDING THE ARC SABER.

PROXIMITY MINES, NAPALM, FREON
CANNONS AND HIGH INTENSITY LASERS.

DEMO RATED
5 OUT OF 5 .

-GAMESPOT

...THE FINAL RELEASE
IS CERTAINLY ON MY
MUST-HAVE LIST."

T'"'' -ADRENALINE VAULT

THE VISUALS IN THE
GAME ARE STUNNING AND
THE GAMEPLAY IS
EXTREMELY IMMERSIVE."

-GAMESLICE

Looks to be a killer*|

ADDITION TO THE
GAME GENRE."

-NEXT GENERATION ONLINE

-L. 1™

i •

H 9^ ZIPPBR

wjk

1.STABCRAFT

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 554.95
Blizzard, (800) 953-7669

www.biizzard.com

WISHFUL THINKING PUT

STARCRAFT on last year's Holiday
Hot 100; unfortunately, it didn't hit
store shelves until well after the

holidays. But if you're a strategy
gamer and you still don't have
this spinning in your CD-ROM
drive, you're missing out on the
best traditional real-time strategy
game so far this year.

Forgoing formations, 3D graph-
ics, and other bells and whistles,
STARCRAFT focuses squarely on
deep, addictive gameplay. Gamers
can play as one of three truly dis-
tinct races, each with its own

Forgoing formations, 3D graphics, and other
bells and whistles, STARCRAFT focuses
squarely on deep, addictive gameplay.

advantages, drawbacks, and
unique unit sets. Whiie other
games make few real distinctions
between races apart from the odd
iffterunit, STARCRAFT delivers a
dramatically different gaming
experience depending on whether
you opt to play as the scrappy
Terrans, the mystic warrior Protoss,
or the hideous, Alien-Wke Zerg.

Bolstered by a strong story, the
single-player game is a study in
constantly escalating challenge.
The scenario design is stellar, fea-
turing one of real-time strategy's
most surprising and dramatic sce-
narios early in the game, as
hordes of scampering zerglings

overrun a Terran base. It's a testa-
ment to StarCraft's beautifully
balanced play that there is no one
way to win a scenario — thus elim-
inating that annoying, almost puz-
zlelike quality that plagues so
many other strategy titles.

As great as the game Is solo,
multiplayer is where it really
shines. You can develop your mul-
tiplayer chops by squaring off
against the computer's brutal Al in
randomly generated scenarios.
When you're ready, you can play
over a LAN (up to eight players
can spawn and play off one CD)
or use Blizzard's free battle.net
service for Internet play.

Piik COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « OECEMBER 1998

iputergaming.c

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

SOULBLIGHTER

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $49
Bungie Software, (312) 397-0500

wwrw.bungie.com

THE FIRST MYTH

garnered CCW's Strategy Game of
the Year award last year, and it
looks as though the sequel will be
a top contender for the 1 998
honor, Continuing the epic story of
the first game, Bungie hasn't dras-
tically changed anything in MYTH
II, deciding wisely to improve and
enhance gameplay while simplify-
ing the interface.

You'll still command a set num-
ber of troops that gain experience
over the course of your campaign.
Commanding them is easier than
before because the crucial controls
for viewing the carnage-filled bat-
tlefield are intuitively handled by
simply moving your mouse. The
original keyboard controls remain
as an option. Critical unit facing is
now achieved via a simple right-
ciick-and-drag of highlighted units
as opposed to MYTH's funky,
seemingly perfunctory, wrist-
snapping gesture-clicking.

MYTH II features the same
unforgiving tactical combat. But
gamers who found the first game
too unforgiving will be glad to
hear that the learning curve has
been flattened a bit, though not at
the expense of challenging game-
play. Enriching the playing experi-
ence will be new units like mortar
dwarves, friendly trow, and magic
units with replenishing mana as

well as new strategically useful
elements such as fire.

MYTH II features even lusher 3D
environments, more frames of ani-
mation, and improved pathfinding.
Interior environments and polygo-
nal moving objects such as draw-
bridges have been added, at last
satisfying gamers who longed to
besiege castles. Finally, MYTH II
will include editing tools, enabling
gamers to create custom maps
and units.

By providing more of everything
that made the first game a winner,
Bungie has ensured that MYTH II:
SOULBLIGHTER will be a must-have
for PC warriors. Don't miss our full
preview elsewhere in this issue.

SjHEROESOFMIGHT

AWDMAGiclII

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $50
3D0. (650) 261-3000

wvtfw.3do.com

TAKING PLACE AFTER

events in the MIGHT AND MAGIC VI
RPG, HEROES III adopts some of
that game's enormity for the
biggest, most varied installment in
this stellar franchise. The turn-
based gameplay that characterizes
HEROES remains basically the
same; Your mission is to lead
armies of fantastic creatures
across a lush landscape, fighting
for resources, building cities, and
storming castles.

HEROES III features 16 types of
heroes, including Beastmasters,
Battlemages, and Death Knights.
The towns will dictate which types

www.computefgaming.com

of heroes you get, rather than the
heroes determining the town type
as in previous HEROES editions.

As you struggle to gain control
of the land of Erathia, you'll
employ such new units as gold
dragons, devils, and incredibly
powerful archangels. Each of the
59 creatures has an upgraded
version, for a total of 1 1 8 monster
types. Throw In new war
machines, like balllstae, and
there's more than enough to
satisfy even the most obsessive of
micromanagers. With all these

new units to control, unit stacks
have been expanded to include up
to seven unit types, and the hex-
based combat maps have nearly
doubled in size.

HEROES III further distinguishes
itself from the pack with a greater
emphasis on story — a story told in
three acts that comprise two mini-
campaigns each. In addition, sub-
quests occur midscenario when a
player enters special parts of the
map, and there are underground
worlds to explore and conquer as

well. These optional quests can
affect the outcome of not only the
current scenario but the entire
campaign as well.

ESiSmUH

40,000: CHAOS GATE

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $49.99
SSI, (800)716-8503

vvww.chaosgate.com

TURN-BASED SQUAD-LEVEL

combat is back and — surprise! —
it's not an X-COM game. In SSI's
WARHAMMER 40,000: CHAOS

GATE, gamers command
five-man units across
various alien land-
scapes, battling the
forces of the evil Chaos
cultlsts. Fully customiz-
able squads let you
name troops, shuffle
squad lineups, and outfit
each fighter with items
from the game's enor-
mous, devastating arse-
nal. With only a limited number of
troops, you're compelled to pro-
tect your forces, but you'll be
rewarded as they gain experience
and abilities with every mission.

The work that has gone into the
Al in CHAOS GATE is evident even
at the game's easiest setting:
Enemies still fight smart, you just
face fewer and weaker units. Of
course, you'll be able to face the
most challenging adversaries —
other gamers — in multiplayer
gaming that lets you battle as the
twisted Chaos army.

His movemenfs are so realistic
the faster he runs,
the harder he rams his head.

[We said realistic, not bright.]

27 species in total, head-ramming 3D. Single and multiplayer
games — but whichever you choose, you’re always an alien.
And humans are just something else for your trophy case.

WWW. re d storm.com

w H

' A new breed of real-time strategy gaming. 27,000 square j

miles of 3D alien landscape. A true day/night cycle.

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

DON'T LET THE FLOOD

of real-time strategy games fool
you. Quality turn-based gaming
is alive and well in such stand-
out titles as WARLORD III:
DARKLORDS RISING. More an expanded
version of WARLORDS III: REIGN OF
HEROES than a true sequel, this addictive
title packs the earlier game and a ton of
new goodies onto the same CD. Five new
heroes and 3l new units pump the total
up to 1 5 heroes and 95 units in 4 new
campaigns and 1 5 new single scenarios.

Gameplay takes place in both indoor
and outdoor environments as gamers

6. WARLORDS III

DARKLORDS RISING

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S39.95
Red Orb Entertainment,

(415) 382-4777

www.redorb.com

S^COMMANDS

CONQUE^j”

TieSiANSu!^

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S49.95
Westwood Studios, (888) 212-1702

www.westwood.com

ALTHOUGH ITS STORYLINE

is worthy of a well-crafted Silver Surfer
saga, COMMAND & CONQUER 2:TlBERIAN
SUN doesn't unfold In a linear manner,
and gameplay doesn't repeat. Scenarios
are no longer scripted, and mission solu-
tions are driven by considerations of
weight, flammability, geography, and
weather — not predetermined factors. In
addition, you're not living in a vacuum.
Civilians and mutants don't just stand
around; they form militias, Totally merce-
nary commando units can be recruited if
you find the resources and artifacts they
want. Spies can steal information by
entering facilities invisibly. Units that sur-
vive missions gain experience levels, con-
stantly improving. The Al uses a problem-
solving routine, actually learning from
playing against you by building a contin-
uously growing database of your tenden-
cies, COMMAND & CONQUER 2:TIBERIAN
SUN has a mixture of familiar and new
game mechanics, fascinating new graph-
ic effects, and what appears to be a chal-
lenging new Al. nod's back!

generate armies, defend and besiege
castles, and develop their heroes' abilities.
A random mission generator guarantees
long-term replayability, as do the new
scenario/campaign editor and the robust
multiplayer options.

APOPUIGUS:
THE BEGINNING

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S54.95
Origin, (800) 245-4525

www.orlgin.ea.com

POPULOUS: THE BEGINNING

(POP: T8) ranks as the ultimate
god-game, putting you in the
role of a shaman striving to
become a deity. In this real-time
title you shoot for divinity,
building villages, raising armies,
and ruthlessly killing or convert-
ing your enemies. The third
installment of a ground-break-
ing series, POP:TB maintains a
slightly whimsical, otherworldly
tone. Utterly original, POP: TB is
a breath of fresh air.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

ilk.

UJ^ MijjJBMJM

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Fast SHU” support, op lo 1024 s TBS wWi
VopiIooZ" [IncTEllille wIBi 8UI
hilly Inleractiin! SB vMal coslipit
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> large-scale Inlemel play via niovaWorld' -
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k'.computergarning.c

liiGAMER

EDITDfIS'

COMPUTER

GAMES

STRATEGY PLUS

#“Remintls You That Adventure idi
■AtTIjelr Best- Can PuH'Your Heart
Brain As Solidly As A^iy Motion Iff

•Computer Gaming World

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Likely To Keep You Glued To Your
Computer For Hours At A Time.”

-PC Gamer

‘Vastly DiFFefe'nt And

Thoroughly Entertaining,

•Next Generation

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Game Where Your
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I ARIUM

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Go to #233 @ www.computergaming.com/infollnh

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

8. BIRTH OF THE

FEDERATIOM

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM. S55
MicroProse, (510) 864-4550

www.nikropro5e.com

of realistic weapons. Wrap a more
sophisticated strategic campaign
around the mix, and you have the
makings of an addictive game. You
manage a team of mercenaries bent
on freeing an island nation from the
grips of a two-bit dictator. Resource
management, NPC interaction, and
careful tactical movement all play
big roles. From what we've seen of
the JAGGED ALLIANCE 2 demo, this
game should really appeal to JAGGED
ALLIANCE and X-COM fans, and even a
few role-players who liked FALLOUT. Just
make sure you can survive the inevitable
sleep deprivation.

STAR TREK

game have hit all cor-
ners of the galaxy in
terms of quality, but
BIRTH OF THE FEDERA-
TION (BOTF) looks like a
real winner. Taking
place in the Next
Generation universe,

BOTF lets you play as
one of five major
alliances (Federation,

Ferengi, Klingon,

Cardassian, or
Romulan), with the
inherent strengths and
weaknesses of each affecting gameplay.
The scope of the game rivals that of the
universe itself, stressing resource man-
agement, trade, diplomacy, and combat.

10. RAILROAD

TYCOON II

9JAGCM
ALLIANCE 2

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, S59.95
Pop Top Software, (212) 696-2000

www.poptopsoftware.com

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM. S48.99
Sir-Tech, (315) 393-6451
www.jaggedalliance.com

START WITH THE TACTICAL

aspects of the original JAGGED ALLIANCE,
mix in an isometric perspeaive, stir in a
pinch of role-playing, and add a handful

SINCE WE LAST WROTE

about this game, we've been impressed
by how much theAi has improved, partic-
ularly with the computer robber barons,
if you're expecting a rehash of other rail-
road games, forget it. Whether you're
micromanaging your business, immers-
ing yourself in stock trading, or just
playing with your virtual train set,
you'll find plenty of freshness here.
The 3D engine can manipulate up to
300,000 polygons, allowing you to
freely rotate the landscape. Best of
all, the game looks good even on
older Pentiums, with no need for a
3D accelerator. RAILROAD TYCOON II
should support up to 16 would-be
Vanderbilts for multiplayer action.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

lUOVALOGIC /BS^ - KMPimMvnmnW iPJ.

eiMknUKk.

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SHROUDED IN SECRECY
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• Over 48 stand alone single-player/
cooperative missiens

• large-scaie Internet play via IllovaWorld"-
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righlers", lldlG-29 Falcrems and F-22RapUrs~

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• The most realistic PC
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Go to #269 @ www.computergaming.com/infollnk

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

More Strate

Gift Givin

W ith heaps of new games com-
ing out late this year, it's easy
to overlook older favorites that
gain new life via expansion packs. Easily
topping this list is AGE OF EMPIRES: THE
RISE OF ROME, a real favorite at the CGW
office, which has led to the renaming of
midday as "Age of Lunch." RISE OF ROME
adds four new civilizations and four new
technologies, and (finally) lets you queue
up unit production. There are five impres-
sive new units as well, including the
priest-hacking scythe chariot, which lets
you literally — and bloodily— cut down
the threat of unit conversion.

STARCRAFT: BROOD WAR, Blizzard's
official add-on, is sure to appeal to any
STARCRAFT fan. Thirty new campaign
missions provide plenty of challenge and
continue the story of the first game. But
the real draw here should be the new
units, two for each race: an air-to-air unit
and Dark Templars for the Protoss; heal-
ing medics and the devastating Valkyrie
missile frigate for theTerrans; and a new
mutalisk aspect and defensive unit for
the Zerg. Of course the new units, tile-
sets, and maps will be supported for
multiplayer carnage on battle.net.

Based on the H.G. Wells sci-fi classic,

GT Interactive's WAR OF THE WORLDS
breaks from the standard, preset-mission
formula of most real-time strategy
games by asking gamers to position theii
forces on a large strategic map of the
British Isles. The result is refreshingly
nonlinear gameplay. Gamers can play as
either the defending English or the
invading Martians. The two sides have
radically different units and technologies;
and while resource-management is a
definite part of the game, the differing
technologies will have each side scram-
bling for different raw materials. It's a

sharp-looking game, featuring
3D animated objects, light-
sourcing, and some cool envi-
ronmental effects courtesy of a
dynamic particle system.

World-builders will welcome
SiMCiTY 3000 and CAESAR III.
Unlike SIMCITY 3000, CAESAR III
has some combat, but both
games emphasize managing the
growth and well-being of a city,
albeit in vastly disparate eras. Keeping
your populace happy, pleasing the
emperor, fighting invaders, and estab-
lishing trade routes will determine your
success in CAESAR III. Aspiring city man-
agers in SIMCITY will have to contend
with natural disasters, build power grids,
and find a tax rate that will attract busi-
ness without driving away citizens.

Interactive Magic's SEVEN KINGDOMS:
ANCIENT ADVERSARIES might seem like
an AGE OF EMPIRES clone, but to call it
so would do it a disservice. There is no
campaign; your goal, simply put, is to
expand one of several different ancient
cultures until you basically control the
world. This is a complex game that
doesn't emphasize combat. Instead, it
focuses on a deep economic model, con-
struction, espionage, and diplomacy,
with a smidgen of fantasy, to provide
the bulk of its challenge.

How can
a medieval
painting
depicting a
game of
chess put
your life in
jeopardy?
That's the
question
that Julia, a

young art restorer, des-
perately attempts to answer
as she peels away the surface of
The Flanders Panel — a painting that
holds the key to a 500-year-old murder.
All she needs to do is reconstruct the
moves of the fateful match. Novelist
Arturo Perez-Reverte builds a tale of
intrigue and suspense as rich and com-
plex as the layers of oils on the artwork
itself. The Flanders Panel ($1 1 .95) is
published by Bantam.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 199B

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1. THE OPERATIOWAl

ART OF WAR

war films starring over-the-hil!
actors with bad British accents.

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 549.95
TalonSoft, (800) 211-6504

www.taionsoft.com

IN LESS-TALENTED HANDS,

this game would be a bone-dry
treatise worthy of stacking on
your shelves next to those 1960s

That THE OPERATIONAL ART OF
WAR is a triumph as a simulation
of 20th century warfare is a wel-
come slap in the face of insipid
near-future games (most of which
wouldn't know a morale check if

Amchair commanders will spend hours drooling
over the variety of command options at their
fingertips before they ever launch an attack.

it bit them in the command post).

That ART OF WAR is also a chal-
lenging, enjoyable game is cause
for celebration.

Before Norm Koger fans
immerse themselves in wargaming
heaven, be warned that ART OF
WAR has a steep learning curve.
Once you have the game system
down, however, it rewards you like
no other operational-level game
on the PC. For me, it was like hav-
ing PACIFIC WAR with a real inter-
face and a commonsense deploy-
ment system. Armchair comman-
ders will spend hours drooling
over the variety of command
options at their fingertips before
they ever launch an attack.

ART OF WAR takes into account
a dizzying 90-plus factors during
combat, but it also has surpris-
ingly good pacing for a complex
turn-based game. The sophis-
ticated Al knows how to use com-
bined arms and when to call in
artillery and air support. I guaran-
tee it'll kjck you from here to
Bataan the first few games (if you
don't cheat). Once you tire of the
sophisticated computer opponent
and tough campaigns, ART OF
WAR lets you edit practically
every asfJect of the game. It's
hard to believe, but TalonSoft may
have surpassed its BATTLEGROUND
series with this one.

COMPUTgR GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

iputetgaming.t

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

2. AXIS & ALLIES

3. BAme OF BRITAIN

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $44.95
Hasbro Interactive, (508) 921-3700

www.hasbro.com

WHEN LARRY HARRIS'

beer-and-pretzels boardgame
vision of WWII hit the marketing
beaches, it was mostly ignored by
the "realism is king" crowd. In
1984 Hasbro picked up the game,
streamlined it, and supercharged
the graphics. A million or so units
later, Axis & Allies is still selling,
which bodes well for its conver-
sion to PC.

AXIS & ALLIES begins at the
peak of Axis success, when
Germany and Japan must press
hard for a strategic victory before
the industrial might of the United
States swings the tide in the
Allies' favor. Along the way, you
struggle for dominance in North
Africa, try to blitz Russia out of
the war, prep for D-Day, and
research high-tech weapons like
jet fighters and heavy bombers.

Lest you fear another YAHT2EE or
PIQIONARY, rest assured that every-
thing you've come to love from the
boardgame is here, with a toggle
for every option you've ever imag-
ined. The improved rules for multi-
ple hits on battleships and sub-
merged submarines are by them-

whether the veteran duo of Gary
Grigsby and Keith Brors had — like
one of those art-rock groups from
the 1 970s — run out of keyboard
miracles. Working with TalonSoft,
however, seems to have revitalized
the famed designers. Because
BATTLE OF BRITAIN looks to be as
fun as Grigsby's USAAF from the
old Apple ll/C-64 days, with the
added advantage of a more dynam-
ic situation.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN is a combina-
tion of real-time and turn-based

strategy closer to HARPOON than
MAX or X-COM. Basically, the
German player maps out his bomb-
ing raids, strafing runs, and escorts,
then launches them (up to 100
missions per day) choosing the
time, altitude, and paths for each.
Once the Luftwaffe shows up, the
British player reacts as the clock
ticks, trying to figure out whether
those squadrons over Birmingham
are really going after the steel fac-
tories or are simply a diversion for
a massive attack on Big Ben.

Everything happens oper-
ationally — you won't be
fighting tactically as in
ACHTUNG! SPITFIRE— but
there is plenty going on to
keep you busy. It seems that
every fighter, recon, bomber,
pilot, and historical target
from the battle has been
included, and there's even
an optional 1941 campaign.
While we're happy to see
Grigsby finally doing a
Windows 95 game, there is
the possibility that the game
won't be fully 3D as expect-
ed. Still, this is a fresh take
on the most famous aerial
campaign in history, and a
pretty safe bet for the bud-
ding air force commander
in your family this holiday
season.

selves almost
worth the price
of the game.

TheAl is quite
competent. And
for games
between human
generals, Hasbro
plans to support
every kind of
multiplay option.

At press time, it
was unclear
whether optional
time limits for
each turn would
make the cut, so
make sure you're
playing with
someone who
takes less than
an hour per turn. AXIS & ALLIES is
one of those rare games that goes
beyond genre boundaries. It's hard
to imagine any gamer not smiling
upon finding this under the tree.

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $49.95
TalonSoft, (800) 211-6504

www.talansoft.com

WITH THE SOMEWHAT

lackluster reception of STEEL
PANTHERS III, you had to wonder

I'.computergaming.e

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ♦ DECEMBER

IPS TIME YOU

ReuolutionBry new battlefield physics -
Deformable terrain, energy weapon
effects, dynamic colored lighting and
flying shrapnel - intensifies the realism
and encitement.

New “ueterancy” feature enables units to
become smarter, faster and strnnger as
they become battle hardened with combat
eaperience.

Experience the future nf ginbal war with
new, high-energy weapons and defenses
- Jump Jet Infantry, Laser Fences,
Disruptors, Houer Tanks, Tunneling APCs,
The Firestorm Defense, Mechanized Battle
Units and many more.

More tactics of sabotage and guerilla
warfare - execute couert night mission
set forest fires and destroy bridges -
with unigue opportunities in three
different enuimnments.

Internet nlav is easier than ever with a

THE STUNNING SEQUEL TO THE

SAW THE FUTURE

ORIGINAL COMMAND & CONQUER.

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

his crew. So
while we had
more than a few
quibbles with
EAST FRONT, we
were hardly sur-
prised to find
that WEST
FRONT is an
improvement in
every way. The
game plays

6. NORTH VS. SOUTH

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $49.95
Interactive Magic, (800) 789-1 534

www.imagicganie5.com

NORTH VS. SOUTH MAKES

use of the same basic engine as
1-Magic‘s GREAT BAHLES, with
heavy modifications for muskets
and artillery (instead of shields
and spears). In addition to the
usual stand-alone battles, there

will elicit a Rebel Yell from even
the Yankee In your household.

TjlOIJIJElOICT

^ORMANP^^"

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, STBA
Empire Software, (800) 216-9706

www.empire-u5.com

ASIDE FROM ITS INCREDIBLY

4. AIDE DE CAMP 2.

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $59.95
HPS Simulations, (408) 554-8381
www.hpssims.com

A SEQUEL TO THE POWERFUL

editing program that vy.on a CGW
Special Achievement Premier
Award three years ago, AIDE DE
CAMP 2 (ADC 2) lets you convert
your paper games to play-by-email
computer games. ADC 2 won't
magically put an Al in your
boardgame conversion, nor will it
change turn-based games to real-
time. But it does have security
passwords, hidden unit options,
variable initiative, and a slick line-
of-sight algorithm. It even supports
card play. After a little practice, you
may find your 256-color version
preferable to paper maps — espec-
ially if you're allergic to dust.

5. WEST PROMT

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, $49.95
TalonSoft, (800) 211-6504

www.talonsoft.com

NO ONE IN THE COMPUTER

gaming industry supports a prod-
uct line better than Jim Rose and

faster (particularly when the Al is
moving), the combat routines
have a better historical feel, and
the graphics are both more pleas-
ing and more functional. If that
isn't enough, fans of Saving
Private Ryan can try their own
hand at D-Day. What more could
you ask for?

are dynamic campaigns and
plenty of "what-if" options. What
separates this from similar fare is
that Craig Taylor is one of the
best designers of 1 9th century-
based games out there. If his
usual deft touch with idiosyncrat-
ic rules and exquisite game bal-
ance is there, NORTH VS. SOUTH

long name.
Interactive Sim's
101:THE101ST
AIRBORNE IN
NORMANDY
should be a
welcome treat
for fans of turn-
based WWII
wargames. The
colorful maps
resemble those
of CLOSE
COMBAT,
but the focus is
different. You
have to deal
with your 18-
man squad
becoming sepa-
rated in the
darkness or link
up with a hid-
den French Resistance group.

Each soldier possesses different
personality traits, skills and spe-
cial training, rated in various
categories, which include intelli-
gence, endurance, weapons
usage, and throwing ability. This
gives the game a nice role-play-
ing feel for any ripcord-puller.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

ipulurg.iming.c

this online fantasy world at WWW,3clo.

com /Meridian

Intense Battles Ancient Magic ' -

Massivbi.v Mi’i/i i-Playi;r Intkuxkt RPG

k Go to if^44 @ www.computergamIng.com/infollnk

I V jl O IsgatlYeSDO Company. All Righls Reserved. 3D0. Meridian S9, end Iheir respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of The 3D0 Company In the U.S. and/or other countries.
' All other trademarks and trade names belong to iheir respective owners.

Game

1941; German armies have overrun Europe. Now the High Commapa nasi
turned Its attention eastward to Russia, and is preparing to invade the
Motherland in the largest military operation the woitd has ever seen, Tens of
millions of soldiers will take up the fight to either bring Russia to its kneeS
or to repel the invasion and bring the German war machine to a grinding halt

Now you can command the complete farces of either nation on the Eastern
Front, in a wargaming simulation of unprecedented scale and detail.

Radical new approach to wargame design gives you control of troops by the thousands while the
game engine simulates movement, engagement, supply, morale, and more with incredible detail
that goes all the way down to individual companies.

Plan operations just as a real commander would, drawing operational maps and drafting orders to
distribute to your armies then watch as your commands are carried out in real-time.

Wage war on real terrain with realistic representation of command and control. No hexes, no turns,
just pure simulation of military command on an unprecedented scale.

Go to #247 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

Windows® 95 CD-ROM Strategy

www.imagicgames.com

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

SjGREATBATTLES

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 549,95
Interactive Magic, (800) 789-1534

www.imagicgames.com

MUCH MORE THAN THE

contractual-obligation-greatest-hits
aibum, this version of GREAT

BATTLES finally comes close to the
epic sweep and historical accuracy
of the award-winning boardgames
on which the series is based. All of
the graphical and engine improve-
ments from CAESAR have been
retrofitted to ALEXANDER and
HANNIBAL (the latter is finally
patched). Best of all, the new sce-
nario editor finaiiy iets you pit
Julius against Alex to see if either

Stockff)

Command Magazine
includes a playable board wargame
with the classic cardboard counters and colorful
paper maps, along with a number of historical articles includ-
ing one on the game's subject. For not much more than a single com-
puter game, you get six different wargames, which are generally on
topics you'd never see on a PC, such as Napoleon's planned invasion of
Britain. Passionate, controversial, and never dull — a great gift.
S85/year. PO Box 4017, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403 (800) 488-2249.

of them is worthy of holding
Hannibal's spear. A great buy, this
is how the games should have
shipped in the first place.

9. PEOPLE'S GEMERAL

Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, 549.95
SSI, (800) 245-4525

www.ssioniine.com

WE WERE REALLY WORRIED

about this game, since it ignored
the Communists vs. Nationalists
struggle in post-WWII China in
favor of a hypothetical Chinese-
Russian war at the turn of the
21st century. But PEOPLE'S
GENERAL turned out to be more
fun than we expected. It's not
PANZER GENERAL II by any means,
but there are plenty of high-tech
toys with which to play, and the

new air and artillery subsystems
wreak a heap of havoc in a hurry.

10. DRAfiOOM

Windows 3.5-inch floppies, 529.95
Art of War/Boku Strategy.

(319) 351-5396

www.boku.simplenet.com/

index.htmi

WE AT CGIVHAVE ALWAYS

had a soft spot for Indie publish-
ers, but this game makes the list
strictly on merit. Boku Strategy
and Art of War get Brownie points
for simulating warfare in the age
of Frederick the Great — one of
wargaming's most neglected
areas — and for making it some-
how enjoyable. DRAGOON encour-
ages the proper use of command
control and linear tactics — a nice
achievement for any game.

other

Holiday Battles

T alonSoft marches apace with BATTLEGROUND 9:

CHICKAMAUGA, which brings the esteemed engine up
to true Windows 95 standards. SSI's ULTIMATE WWII
COLLECTION hardly qualifies for that title, but it's worth buy-
ing just to introduce a friend to RM4ZER GENERAL II. Though
it's a bit dated now, SEMPER Fl! iets your Marines trample all
kinds of opposition during a lunch break. MAN OF WAR II,
GUADALCANAL, and PACIFIC TIDE will likely slip to early 1999,
so don't plan your holiday shopping around them.

u.computergaming.t

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

SOUII:

A strjnp lad pmrfBl niilc healsr

find this PEARL

Tlie citizens of Calli are about to be wiped out by a deadiy

epidemic. But to find the raysticai green peari that can save them, you /

must run a suicidal gauntlet through a massive tower. There are only two ways
out: Alive and very dead. And there are plenty of hideous creatures in your way who ^

ate voting for dead. One thing’s for sure, survival isn't pretty. OR ijie

• Plunge into the bizarre 3-D worlds of • Make your way through 8 intricate • O.D.T. is an intense action adventure
O.D.T. It's part magic, part mayhem. levels and more than 70 treacherous game that lets you choose from four
sectors. characters - Lt. Ike Hawkins, Julia

Chase, Maxx Havoc and Solaar - with
different strengths, abilities and
special moves.

Confront your own mortality with
endless fighting combinations, including
hand-to-hand, weapon or spell combat.

Welcome to Nanocorps, where you’ll soon discover the benefits of being small. You’re qm^

lly under the bathroom door. And best of all

can see the look in

when you pusl

Get Small. Them

Get Even.

l!l!IS iNjiiiil.iiiiiui'iit All il^llLs rcHcrvL'il. Naiiciniiiiiiiciil'.'' I'ly 1 litiiU rl

?'aiid Njinuiiiiw"' Innos iir

\ lot 1 0 til \iliilt • wuAv.ttuiiolaliitiR'iit.coin

V ir.iili'iiKiiks iirN;iii(>luiiiiiii'iil.‘'' .Alloifirr (rjilciiurks.iml Lraili' luiiiius iirc |>rii|ii

solid implementation of
the TNT, combined with a
gamer-oriented tweak util-
ity and an attractive soft-
ware bundle. The Velocity
4400 pumps out an
impressive 3D Game-
Gauge score of 483 run-
ning at 800x600, and the
2D performance is also
impressive. The card ships
with a full OpenGL instal-
lable client driver (iCD),
which delivers superb per-
formance on OpenGL
games like QUAKE li.

The RIVA TNT chip is one of the most anticipated
graphics accelerator chips of the past year.

I.STBVeloci

nrinn

Velocity 4400, SI 99

STB Systems, (972) 234-8750

www.stb.com

IT'S NO BOLD STATEMENT

that 3D graphics are here to stay,
and it's no surprise that 3D first
found a home in first-person
shooters and vehicle sIms. But last
year saw the arrival of the 3D
strategy game and even 3D-
accelerated kids' titles. Microsoft
delivered DirectXS, which signifi-
cantly improves usability and per-
formance of Direct3D. OpenGL
also garnered wider acceptance
with a number of companies
announcing OpenGL titles — and
not just ones based on the QUAKE
engine. Running the latest crop of
3D games requires serious CPU
and graphics horsepower.

Stepping up to the plate is nVidia
with the RIVA TNT.

The RIVA TNT chip from nVidia
is one of the most anticipated

graphics accelerator chips of the
past year.TNT's dual-rendering
pipeline, true-color rendering
capability, and support for new
features like bump mapping and
stencil buffering (in addition to all
the usual 3D features) means that
we're likely to see some interest-
ing effects in future games.

Our holiday pick for RIVA-based
boards is the STB Velocity 4400, a

The software bundle includes
a full version of FORSAKEN,
enhanced to support 32-bit color
and resolutions up to 1280x1024.
There are some productivity pack-
ages and 3Deep, a gamma man-
agement app from Colorific. And
with a price of $199 for a 16MB
board, the STB Velocity 4400
won't damage your pocketbook
too much, either.

Z^Guillemot

Maxigamei^

Phoenix

Maxigamer Phoenix, $1 29 (after rebate)
Guillemot International,

(800) 967-0863

www.guillemot.com

NOT EVERYONE CAN

afford to upgrade their systems
every year. Let's say you bought
last year's killer rig — a 266MHz or
300MHz Pentium II. Or you're
scraping up all your savings to get
a 300MHz Celeron-A or K6-2 sys-
tem. Which 2D/3D card do you
choose? If you can afford only one
card, consider a board that uses
3Dfx's new Banshee chipset.

The Banshee is no replacement
forVoodoo^, but Banshee's per-
formance in Direct3D, OpenGL,
and Glide games is nonetheless
solid. Even a multitexture game
like QUAKE II does reasonably
well on a Pentium II with
Banshee, although it has to per-
form multipass rendering to pull
off QUAKE ll's multitexturing
effects. The 2D performance is
very good and surpasses every-
thing except the TNT — at least
up to 1024x768x32.

Our pick for Banshee boards is
Guillemot's Maxigamer Phoenix.
The board itself isn't all that spe-
cial — pretty much a copy of the
3Dfx reference board. But it's
cheap. A 16MB board retails for
$149 but comes with a $20 rebate
coupon, making the net price
$1 29. It comes with some cool
games, too, including a limited
version of HALF-LIFE, the full ver-
sion of BARRAGE, and a host of
demos. Phoenix also comes in
both PCI and AGP flavors, so if you
can afford only one low-cost
board, check it out.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

I'.computefgaming.t

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

3. Creative Sound

Blaster Live!

4. PowerLeap AMD

6. ADS

K6-2 Upgrade

Technologies

USB Hub

5. Anchor Chips

EZ-Link

w.computergaming.con

delivers
near-Ethefiici
times (30-40ms), but its maximum
data rate is much slower than
Ethernet, somewhere in the
l-2Mbits/sec range, compared
with Ethernet's typical 6 - 8 Mbits/
sec. However, if you want to put
together a good gaming network
quickly, EZ Link makes it simple.

that screamin' Voodoo^ board in a
PI 33, you've got an imbalance
between your now-underpowered
CPU and a powerful 3D chipset.

The folks at PowerLeap offer a
wide array of CPU upgrades based
on Intel, AMD, and Cyrix CPUs.
What's more, these upgrades
arrive with an onboard voltage
converter and ample documenta-
tion to ease installation. At a mini-
mum, you'll need to update your
system's BIOS. You may also have
to install a third-party shareware
BIOS to have your system work
with the new CPU. But for those
gamers out there with Pentium
60MHz machines (Socket 3) or
Pentium 100-1 66 MH 2 machines
(Socket 5) who aren't ready to
move to an AGP motherboard,
these upgrade options are defi-
nitely worth considering,

PowerLeap's upgrade CPUs
range in price from under SI 00 to
about S229 for the fastest AMD
K 6-2 chip.

EZ-Link, $79.95

Anchor Chips, (619) 676-6815

www.ezlmkusb.com

Sound Blaster Live! Value, 599
Creative Labs, (408} 428-6600

www.soundblaster.com

AFTER SOME HESITANT

experiments based on its Ensoniq
acquisition. Creative enters the
PCI sound card fray full tilt with
Sound Blaster Live! For $99 the
Value edition lacks many of the
amenities of the full package, but
it does have clean digital audio
and superb MIDI, The card sup-
ports DirectSoundSD with
Creative's EAX (Environmental
Audio Extensions). However, for
full effect, you'll need a four-
speaker setup that can plug into
the two audio outputs on
the back of the card.

The sound

quality is good, and the DOS sup-
port works, too. Given Creative's
marketing muscle, you can expect
to see a number of games support
the EAX extensions.

USB Hub, $89

ADS Technologies, (562) 926-1928

www.adstech.com

WITH THE ARRIVAL OF

Windows 98 and DirectX 6 , USB
has finally arrived in earnest.
Most companies will be shipping

IMAGINE HAVING TRUE

Plug-and-Play networking. Plug in
a device, and the networking is
live. We've all been waiting to
put those USB ports on our sys-
tems to good use. Anchor Chips
may well have something that
kills two stones with one bird: a
USB-based peer-to-peer net-
work. And since USB devices
are hot-swappable by design,
the networking functionality
disables itself gracefully
when you unplug the con-
nected machines.

Now here's the cool
part: Reconnect the machines
and EZ-Link dynamically restores
networking without a reboot, EZ-
Link's performance is a bit mixed. It

new USB controllers or USB ver-
sions of their existing controllers
this holiday season.

While USB is a cool technology
that makes devices hot-swap-
pable without the need for a
reboot, every system maker out
there still puts USB ports in the
wrong place: in the back of the
system. ADS Technologies' USB
hub gets it right, adding four
ports to your system and putting
them where they belong: in the
front of your system.

AMD K6-2 Upgrade, price varies
depending on CPU
PowerLeap, (877) 278-5327

www.powerleap.cam

TIRED OF YOUR 3D

games running at lOfps?
Wondering why even with a
Voodoo^ board, your now-aging
Pentium 1 33 is still dragging?
Answer: It's not your 3D accelera-
tor, it's your CPU. Because the 3D
graphics pipeline in today's PC
affects all parts of your sys-
tem, it can be only as fast
as the slowest part.
So if you've got

mk THEINTEMSORSURVI

OJ; w ;

(Because we’re not always going to be there to hold your trembling, sweaty little hand.)

Be warned: this Is technology with
a real “punch-you-in-the-
gut-while-you're-not-looking”
brand ol sensitivity.

PART TWO

Remember, In this chair
no one can hear you scream.

There’s never been anything like Intensor. So
in order to survive it, you need to understand
a few things. Like to begin with, you need to
know what a Sensory Gaming Experience is.
It’s complete immersion. It's intense tactile

Not everyone will have what it takes to
handle Intensor’s patented audio system,
After ail, we’re talking 5 high-performance
built-in speakers with 108dB output.
Technically speaking, that means it's really

.' 1 , 7 .

feedback. It’s being able to see, hear and feel
the game you’re playing like never before. All
you have to do is hook it up to the audio jack
of any system, play any game and hold on.
You may also want to say a little prayer.

loud. So for the neighbors’ sake, you may
want to use the headphone jack — which you
can do without losing any tactile feedback.
But keep in mind — if your ears start bleeding,
you should probably turn the thing down.

ITEM ^

Left 2” Mid-Range Directional

Right 2" Mid-Range Directional

5.25" Center Mid-Range

5.25" Low Frequency Tactile Driver

High-Range Tweeter

Sound Volume

Tactile lntcn.siiy

Electronics Unit

Heavy-Duty Single Cord Connector

Optional Orilce Chair Base

Optional Subwoofer

Headphone Jack

Fig. 1. A breakdown of wluii you're up aaainsl.

Fig. 2. At 19 poiouis, Iniensor is deslitned
for (/nick evacuation in the event thin/'s
/iei ii/ily. (Shaky hands will ajy/veciate the
built-in molded carrying handle.)

College Frat Party

IQI cIB

Ducking, dodging, whimpering
and other usefui gaming skills
you might want to perfect.

Be advised. With Intensor, you’ll not only
hear your games like never before, you'll
also feel them, In your back, in your legs.
You’ll feel sensations in places you never
even knew you had. Which means every

engine rev, every explosion, every kick will
seem more real than you may want it to. So
it’s important to note that under this type of
extreme duress, screaming in high-pitched
tones for one’s mommy is quite common,

T A C Ti I E S E N S AT I 0 NCR A P H

Kidney Punch Crushed By Falling Piano Torn Apart By Wild Dogs Intensor

Fig. 4. Arlisl's conception of Sensory ■ Fig. 5. Note: Players attempting to

Gaming s effect on the human heart. negotiate Intensor on anything

Those with heart conditions should ' less than a good, stiff spine may he

proceed at their own risk. reduced to a vegetative state.

PART FOUR

Any game. Any system.

Any medium. After this, nothing
will ever be the same.

From movies and CDs to ail your favorite And there's no going back. It’s the gaming
games, Intensor isn’t just compatible with version of the thousand-yard stare. You'll
your current system, it actually transforms recognize it in others who’ve "been there!’
it. It may also do the same to you, Once Seek them out.Talk to them.This therapeutic
you take a seat, there’s a new awareness, approach can help preserve your sanity.

Fig. 6. Intensor has been known to induce shock. In
such cases, place victim flat on hack, elevate legs 8 to 12
inches and call for help. (Jf victim begins vomiting,
place him or her on one side to allow fluid drainage.)

In the event of neiroiis
breakdown, seek help at

www.intensor.com

Assiiniing you' ve read
this carefully, proceed to your
favorite gaming reraiier.

Go to #235 @ www.computergaming.com/lnfollnk

THE HOLID,

100

7. Suncom

Controller Pack

the key {or key combination), and
release. You can store up to four
different game setups this way.

Joystick/Throttle Combo, S90
Suncom, (847) 229-0002

www.sunconimc.com

FLIGHT SIMS OF ALL

stripes seem to have undergone a
resurgence in popularity; and a
high-end flight controller can
make the flying experience much
more enjoyable. But the problem
with many programmable con-
trollers Is their complexity, not to
mention their price.

Suncom's new controller pack
bundles its F-1 5E Talon joystick and
Strike Fighter split throttle for only
90 greenbacks. Toss in a pair of
rudder pedals and you have a
great flight-sim setup at a much
lower price than you might expect.

The controllers are easy to pro-
gram — just press a button, press

OEimajnsiaD

LX 2-Card Set

Pure3D-ll LX (x2), S299
Canopus, (408) 954-4500

www.canopuscorp.com

CANOPUS PRIDES ITSELF
on not being just another refer-
ence board company. While the
crowded Voodoo^ field is chock-
full of reference board clones,
Canopus' unique design includes
an internal SLI connector that
does away with the external VGA
pass-through cable, and a game
launcher that allows each game to
have its own configuration when
running on Pure3D-li. One down-
side to the Canopus board when it
first shipped was its price, but the

company is now making two of its
12MB LX boards available for
5299. PureBD LX lacks a TV-out
and onboard fan, so the only
drawback is that the boards may

not be as tolerant of overclocking.
Considering how much rendering
horsepower you're getting for
$300. though, it's probably a fea-
ture you can live without.

A®

CV-"

Stuff®

'/■s

Logitech MouseMan-i- "Not a creature was
stirring..." Well, Logitech has stirred things up a
bit with its new mouse offerings. Logitech's
MouseMan-f is a four-button mouse with a scroll wheel.
What's unusual is its shape. The design team at Logitech
has put a new slant to the whole mouse. The result is a
comfortable fit that makes driving beth business apps and
action games effortless. The
scroll wheel is surprisingly
addictive since it lets you
scroll through documents
and Web pages without hav-
ing to head over to the appli-
cation's scroll bar. MouseMan's
control panel applet lets you eas-
ily configure all four buttons, scroll
speed, and general mouse settings, if
the old gray mouse just ain't what it
used to be, check out this one.

MouseMan-h, 559.95. Logitech, (800) 231-
7717. www.logitech.com.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

I'.computurf’amini'.

HASBRO

Interactive

® «’i'r,y^ Get all the excitement of slot machines and bingo in
'"'^^..S^oae impossible-to-turn-off game. Slingo, the number
,-■■ * eae on-line game is now on CD-ROM. Take a cbance, you might
'vb In \ * **19 y*’'* ’’’Isl’t lese it all. One thing’s for sure, once you

play-you won’t be able to walk away. And hey, it’s a lot
cheaper than a trip to Vegas.

For more information about Slingo® CD-ROM. please visit our website at www.basbro-interactive.com or call 1-800-400-1352.

01998 Hasbro Interactive, Inc.

Go to #071 @ www.coinputQrgamlng.com/lnfoirnk

F i

Available At: .• . - .i:

CompuJ^r City • Babbage's • Software Etptr Microcenter

.Or call 1 CSOO) 408-4084‘'to onMr direct.-
■ Or visit our web site at u^vw-'per^mer.com.

Goto#148 @ www.comp^rgw%'ff.com/info!ink • .

‘‘What a Sensation. The Ultimate Per4mer® Offers the Greatest
Horsepower, Torqne and Force Effects of
Any Force Feedhack Wheel I've Ever Used."

What does engine
size have to do with
Force Feedback?

Everything!

Bigger engines deliver
bigger horsepower, torque
and the ultimate in force
effects.

The Ultimate PerAmer«
Force Feedback* Racing
System houses the largest
engine and includes the
most rugged foot pedals
of any product available.

The PerUmer^' Specs
Beat Everyone
Hands Down!

Engine: IBvpmde

Torque; 3.9 foot lbs

'.1 I245rpm

Horsepowers 1 •

Gear

Rotio!

..-.rfO''

Move over Microsoft, Thrustmaster
and ACT Labs. You ali use smailer
engines. IVas it to save money ?
Smalier engines generate far weaker
force effects reducing the excitement
and reaiismi Don’t be footed. Bigger
names do not mean better products.

Twice the power, stronger torque,
better road grip, superior bandUng,
precision steering, quicker response
time, and the most rugged racing
pedais. This is why we named it "The
intimate PerAmer*’ Force Feedback
Racing Wheei.”

C.A,ILT. Toyata-AtlantIc
Racing Series

Andretti Racing
& Daytona USA"
Deluxe Included

013

AnoUier fine product by SMT Inlematianal, Inc. All rights reserved.
*I-Pbrce™ Force Feedback Technology Licensed from Immersion
Coiporetlon. All trademarks are the property of titeir respective owners. \

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

9^ostoi^^
AcoustiK^^
635 Speakers

BA-635S, $99
Boston Acoustics,

(877) 333-4001
www.bostondirect.coni

COMING IN AT A SCANT
$99, the BA-635S have got
to be the sweetest low-
cost speakers we've heard
yet. The sound is clean,
the volume level is
respectable, and the setup
is simple. It's easy to find
desk space for the tiny
satellites, and the small
subwoofer tucks into any
odd corner, The volume
knob is on the right
speaker, and the whole
affair looks way too small
to be real. But this system
puts out solid, clean
sound, has a reasonable
bass punch, and can get
pretty loud.

Xterminator, $49.95
Advanced Gravis.

(650) 572-2700

www.gravis.coTfT ’

SOME GAMERS HAVE

to have a controller for every
different kind of game they
play. The upside is a well-fed
control j'ones.The downside is
a clutter of controllers littering
your desktop. Advanced Gravis
hasn't completely solved this
dilemma, but the company has
made a good step in the right
direction. At first glance, its
Xterminator controller looks
like a gamepad, but a closer
look reveals a more versatile
controller that can also be
used as a joystick. You can
daisy-chain two of these con-
trolers together, and the unit
comes with an easy-to-use
programming front end for
game-specific configuration.

Hardware
on the Horizon

A lthough there's a
bevy of good prod*
ucts to dioose
from this holiday season,
it's always a good idea to
keep an eye on the hori-
zon for die next genera-
tion of products. Here are
a few worth considering.

Intel is hard at work
readying its next-
generation Katmai
Pentium II processors.
These will feature Intel's
clumsily dubbed Katmai
New Instructions (KNI),
which should yield
improved 3D perfor-
mance in the form of
higher triangle through-
put. Game developers
will either use Direct3D's
transform and lighting
(T/L) engine or write cus-
tom assembly code to
get at KNI. Katmai is
scheduled to debut the
first quarter of 1999,
with initial speed grades
of 450MHz and 500MHz.

We've also heard tid-
bits about AMD's K6-3
CPU, which will integrate
the Level 2 cache into
the CPU core and allow it
to run on its own back
bus at CPU clock speed,
instead of having to
share bandwidth with
system memory and run
at its speed. We haven't
heard much about speed
grades, but since K6-2s
are now running at
350MHz, we figure K6-3
will probably hit 400MHz
when it debuts.

womputergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 199B

l yejnyaiiaiB^^

IlMsnkinkki^^

^R4con

-Johnny Wilson

Computehg^„,^3

ACTOR

CiiiTi lliih my. lin'es'aHiiiii or ihc
dixoctpr Stiiil hc'd.llini me over lo
ihc lion lamcrs! Oka>«,.. ''Fit lu > -
lirnnoA-Ni). ihai's hiji rmhi. “Hi lu
Briui liildci?” Arghbl! ^ 'J J.

VINTNOR

Look at this! I've ijol ijrapes rolling on
the vine! With iho sliiphuiklL'rs on
strike, 1 can’.rship my wine to the resi
of ihc EmpirP. My warehouse is full,
ami boy do i hQy,e>a:hangover.., ' .

^ GLADIATOR

I've goi 10 gel lo ihc Temple of Mars lo
make a sacrifice before tonighl's conlesl
in ihe Coliseum, 1 think I'm losing my
touch. Last night the lions nearly look
my head off! If only I hadn't missed
that Iasi lesson at the Gladiator s-
School...

^ESAR

Honor the gods of the Roman
Pantheon by throwing festivals and
constructing temples - or you may
incur their wrath.

SOLDIER

March, inarch, Miarth...(H)i lo
keep on ihe lookoul lor ihe
Barbarians. Oil yeah, and rumor
lias ii the Carlhaginian.s may be
on the move again. Wail! Is thal
'a camel over iherc?

Build, rule, and defend on one screen
no more switching between province
and battle screens.

Use the trade map to connect your
city - and its goods - to the rest of
the Empire.

IN STORES NOW!

Download Ihc demo at
www.sieiTasLudios.com

BUILD A BETTER ROME

mmmm

^-lERRA

0 1998 Sierra On-Line, Inc. ® and/or desisnaic
trademarks of, or licensed to, Sierra On-Line, Inc.,

■¥nm .

Impressions.

1. BLUE'S CLUES

ADVENTURE

jHC/Mac CD-ROM, 529.99
jHumongous Entertainment,

|(800) 499-8386
'ww.humongous.com

HUMONGOUS HAS DONE

it again! The folks who brought
you Pun PUTT, FREDDI FISH, FATTI
BEAR, PAJAMA SAM, and SPY FOX
have welcomed yet another mem-
ber into their clan. This year, the
company teamed with Nickelodeon
to create software based on the
Blue's C/ues television show.

BLUE'S BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE
invites preschoolers to join Blue
and her master. Steve, as they pre-
pare for the big day. Once kids
have chosen the game they want
to play (there are four complete
games to choose from — a great
value for S29.95), the singing and
dancing Steve will appear to help
them on their quest. As in the
show, the kooky live-aaion host is
superimposed over the gorgeously
rich multitextured environment of
Blue's world.

Each game includes a variety of
activities: Kids can pick out a gift

for Blue or make a card,
which will be presented to
Blue at the birthday party.

There are puzzles to solve,
noisemakers to pick up,
hotspots to click on and,
most importantly, clues to
find. As kids discover items,
store them in their inven-
tory, and eventually figure
out how to use them,
they'll be rewarded with a
clue — indicated by Blue's
paw print — which they can
record in their Handy
Dandy notebook. Three
dues and it's off to the
Thinking Chair with Steve
to figure out the connection
between the items. Having solved
the puzzle, kids are invited to par-
ticipate in one of four endings; the
party, pizza making, a treasure
hunt, or a puppet show.

BLUE'S BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE
manages to maintain the distinc-
tive style and gameplay that made
the other Humongous titles so
successful, while taking on the
unique look and feel of the Blue's
C/ues series — quite a feat. For
Blue and Humongous fans alike,
it's a definite must-have.

AFTER CORNERING THE

trivia market with the hilarious,
adult-oriented YOU DON'T KNOW
JACK series, Berkeley Systems has
teamed once again with developer
Jellyvision.This time, however, the
younger generation is on the
receiving end. HEADRUSH follows
the basic JACK format, with a sar-
castic, smart-alecky host guiding
up to three players through a
series of multiple-choice ques-
tions, offering caustic commentary
on their selection of subject or
choice of answer, and being gen-
erally insulting and obnoxious.

The sexual banter of the JACK
series has been toned down for
the teen audience, but it hasn't
been removed altogether. In the
version we played, there were still
comments such as "It doesn't
matter if you win or lose as long
as you get to play with yourself"
and categories such as "Duckin
fugly"; so parents should be

PGMac CD-ROM, S30

Berkeley Systems, (800) 234-3088

www.berksys.com

aware that this is definitely not for’
younger kids.

The gamer chooses to be repre-
sented by one of six icons (our
favorite was a green troll with the
body of a lizard and teeth that
Austin Powers would be proud of).
Grossly amusing animated seg-
ments introduce each question. In
one, the camera zooms in on the
zits on a pasty kid's face to reveal
the number 10. Bodily functions
definitely set the tone for the
game, so those who are easily
grossed out should beware.

While some of the questions
could be loosely called education-
al ("Which word in the sentence
'Please lick underneath my sweaty
armpit' is the preposition?"), most
are based on extracurricular activi-
ties (Question: "What's the best
make-out song?" Answer: '"Don't
Speak' by No Doubt") and popular
culture (Leonardo Di Caprio pops
up, as does Celine Dion). Berkeley
isn't trying to palm off HEADRUSH
as an "edutainment" product. It's
clearly intended as fun, but kids
are sure to pick up some general
knowledge along the way.

$30,0

^ If the next “Star Wars'"” movie features a
villain named Darth “Veda,” what will
audiences MOST LIKELY hear him say to
Luke throughout the movid?

1 “Luke. I am your mother.*'

2 “Luke. I am a cow."

(5)“Loke. I am a Hind u/' , .

4 "Luke. I am a

Cha^i^te

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

■ cornpulrt^aming

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

Children can follow Mulan's jour-
ney from her home village to the
army camp, where she disguises
herself as a man, and on into bat-
tle. Activities include a Barbie-
style dress-up gallery, in which
you can select the perfect outfit
for both Mulan and Mushu; a slid-
ing-tile puzzle; various memory
games; a strategy puzzle; a snow-
ball fight; and even a game of
MAHJONG. Ages 6-10.

6. SIMSAFABI

'.Windows and Mac CO-ROM, S29.95
Maxis, (800) 245-4525

www.maxis.com

SIMSAFARI ALLOWS

would-be safari rangers to take
control of their own African
wilderness park and camp. Kids
have to build their park from
scratch, first deciding where best
to locate each species so that
they survive and thrive. Placing
lions too near to antelopes won't
result in visible blood and carnage
(the game is intended for ages 8
and up, after all), but be prepared
for carcasses. Children are intro-
duced to the concept of basic
resource management, as they
build and maintain their tourist
camp, adding amenities as they
can afford them. They'll also have
to deal with varied problems that
include weathering natural disas-
ters and maintaining the satisfac-
tion of the local villagers.

culprit. Kids take on the role of
detective as they guide their fishy
friends through an expansive
underwater kingdom, picking up
clues and grilling other characters
about the missing shell. Aimed at
kids ages 3 to 8, FREDDI FISH 3 still
holds all the charm of the original:
The game environment Is filled
with clickable hotspots, minigames,
and sing-alongs.And when you've
solved the case but want to play
again, you'll find that all the clues
are hidden in different places.

QMIMEMMIII]

STORYBOOK

PC/Mac CO-ROM, $35

Disney Interactive, (800) 900-9234

www.disneyinteractive.com

IN THIS ADVENTURE

storybook based on the animated
film, the gamer is enlisted to help
Mushu the dragon find and

3. THE D-SHOW

4. FREDDI FISH 3

THE CASE OF THE

STOLEN CONCH

SHELL

PC/Mac CD-ROM, $29,99
Humongous Enteitainment,
(800) 499-8386
www.humongous.com

PC/Mac CD-ROM, S35

Disney Interactive, (800) 900-9234

www.disneyintefactive.com

FOR PARENTS WHO HAVE

been forced to watch The Lion
King video one too many times,
here's something from Disney that
both you and your child can
enjoy. THE D-SHOW offers Mickey
Mouse fans of all ages a chance
to test their knowledge of the
Mouse Empire.

The game includes more than
500 trivia questions based on the
animated and live-action movies,
songs and soundtracks, television
specials, theme parks, and charac-
ters that span the entire Disney
history. Kids will particularly enjoy
the Bonus Rounds, which are
made up of visual conundrums:
Casting Call requires you to
match 10 cast members with their
movies; Picture Perfect is a sliding-
tile puzzle featuring a Disney
character; Before and After asks
you to identify a final character or
attraction based on its original

concept art; and Cel-o-vision chal-
lenges you to match character
animation cels to their back-
grounds, Be prepared for the "0-
Fibulator" round in which you
must answer True or False to
statements like "In Bolivia, Pluto
answers to 'El Perro Loco.'"

One to three players or teams
can play on one keyboard, and
the basic idea is to score more D-
Bucks than your opponents. This is
the perfect game to cheer up a
holiday gathering. It's accessible
to everyone — kids of all ages will
be able to show off their knowl-
edge, as will grown-ups. And per-
haps more importantly, it won't
offend anyone!

deliver five magical scrolls to the
Emperor in the Imperial City. As
each scroll is discovered, a portion
of Mulan's story is revealed.

ALL'S NOT

well under the
sea. Someone
has stolen the
Great Conch
Shell, Uncle
Blenny has
been wrongly
accused, and
Freddi and
Luther are out
to find the real

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

7. LEGO LOCO

10. SMALL SOLDIERS:

9. STARFIRE SOCCER

SQUAD COMMANDER

8. CURIOUS GEORGE

READS, WRITES &

SPELLS

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

vvww.comfniturn.imiMf' emu

PC CD-ROM, S29.99
Lego Media, (860) 749-2291

www.icgo.com

PARENTS WHOSE FONDEST

childhood memories stem from
hours of play with an old train set
will be glad to hear that Lego
Media has come up with a product
that may help you transfer some of
that enthusiasm to your computer-
junkie kids. LEGO LOCO enables
kids to construct a fully functional
train network, featuring three dif-
ferent kinds of engines and six
types of carriages, right on their
PC. Children can build and expand
train tracks over several different
landscapes, take control of points
and signals, and watch as passen-
gers board and disembark trains.
The product also lets kids exchange
trains carrying messages, sounds,
or pictures with their friends via
LAN and Internet. Ages 5 and up.

PC/Mac CD-ROM, 544.95
Houghton Mifflin Interactive,

(800) 829-7962
www.hniinet.com

CURIOUS GEORGE HELPS

first- and second-graders hone
their skills in reading, spelling, and

vocabulary as they join the mis-
chievous little monkey on an
adventure that takes them to the
editorial department of a local
newspaper. Children must help
George with various tasks based
on the school curriculum. Activities
include a WHACK-A-MOLE-type
game, in which George must spell
out a word by hitting alphabet
muffins as they rise; a selection of
platform and maze spelling
games; and a variety of fill-in-the
blank writing assignments. The
game includes a Parental Control
tool, which allows adults to adjust
the difficulty level and focus of
each activity.

stocking Sr

PostPet
Internet Mail
Software
The newest addi-
tion to the virtual
pet phenomenon,
PostPet Internet Mail
Software provides a safe and fun
way for children to send and receive email. Kids choose
one of four pets to live inside their email software. The
pet will travel back and forth over the Internet carrying
messages and visiting with the recipients' pets. They'll
also write a secret diary to their master detailing their
adventures. PostPet is compatible only with SMTP and
POP email addresses, and kids will need an
Internet-savvy parent to help them
with initial setup. For more
information, check out
www.sony.com, sg/postpet.

PC/Mac CD-ROM, 529.95,

Purple Moon, (888) 278-7753

www.purpie-moon.com

THE WORLD CUP MAY BE

over, but soccer is still on the
minds of the girls of Whistling
Pines High School. Taking its
"Friendship Adventures" series
one step further. Purple Moon's
latest product is a soccer game
designed specifically for girls. In
STARFIRE SOCCER success is not
necessarily about winning the
game; it's more about the
experience of being part of a
team. Following Ginger and her
friends on and off the field, the
gamer will learn all about the
different characters' personali-
ties and will ultimately have to
decide who makes the cut.

Ages 8-12.

into one of two different plots,
depending on which side they
choose to lead. Either way, gamers
will have to defend themselves
and their neighborhood against
enemy fire, while solving problems
to complete each mission.

There are plenty of pickups
hidden throughout the game
field, including throwable explo-
sives, health and weapon
upgrades, and extra team mem-
bers, but the ground is also laden
with lethal traps. The user-friendly
interface helps to make this a
good first-time strategy game for
young kids.

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 529.95
Hasbro Interactive,

1508) 921-3700

www.hasbro-interactive.com

FANS OF THE MOVIE

can now exer-
cise control
over either the
community-
loving

Gorgonites or
the militant
Commando
Elite in this
20-mission
action/

strategy game
targeted at
boys ages 8
and up. Kids
will be thrown

PCSTRUCTfOM Zm

Battle acro&s 26 awesome combat arenas to collect over 200 Hedz
all with unique abilities - some ballistic, some just downright bizarre -
in this genre busting, surreally funny, full-on 3D game.
So completely original... it will mess with your HED!

KEEPING

\YOURS

THE

OTHER HALF

(HALF

BATTLE

rS GETUNC

^ 1

liilciudivc

WIN 95

See HEDZ @ www.HEDZ.com
Play “Match the HEDZ" game ami win great prizes!

biiithcd undur itcodne rrom VIS Intornclivo pic. H.E.D.Z. Hc.-td Eitrumc Dcsuucliori Zone Is a iriHlonuiik ol VIS Inicraciivo pic. » 1997 VIS Inicfacrloc pic. All righic reserved.

Go to #098 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

Stocking Stuffs

VDiamondRio
Music Player

For Windows 95/98/NT, S199
Diamond Multimedia,

(800) 468-5846

www.dianiondmm.com

IF YOU'RE A MUSIC BUFF

with an Internet connection,
you've probably heard of MP3
(MPEG Layer 3) files, These are
highly compressed digital audio
files that can be downloaded and
played on your PC at near-CD
quality. Much of the available MP3
music consists of garage bands
and bootlegs, but a number of
music labels are now experiment-
ing with selling individual songs
on the Net, Instead of paying SI 4
for a CD to get one song, you can
just download the individual song
for a buck.

The biggest problem with MP3
tunes has been that you needed a
computer to play them. Now
Diamond has developed the Rio
PMP300 Portable Music Player,
which lets you take MP3 files on
the road in a player about the size
of a pager.

Because the files are stored in
solid-state memory, the device is
completely shock-resistant. You
can jog or operate a jackhammer
without worrying about your
Weird Al classics skipping, it's like

3. Create & Share

Camera Pack

Robotics Invention

System

a Minidisc, but without the mov-
ing parts to wear out.

In addition to finding music on
the Net, you can also use the
included software to convert tunes
from your personal CD collection
to MP3 format. Thus, you can cre-
ate mixes of your favorite songs,
store them on your PC, and down-
load them to the Rio. Diamond
claims that the 32MB of memory
will be good for storing about an
hour's worth of music. If that's not
enough, you can bring along more
tunes on Smart Media cards.

these things for kids, the base
price of S200 suggests that
adults — namely, you guys — are
more likely to glom onto them.
The basic MindStorms kit includes
700 pieces, including touch sen-
sors, a light sensor, motors, gears
and a processor. You can build a
variety of robots to perform tasks
like dealing cards or freaking
out your cat. More elaborate
robots can be constructed
using other Lego pieces or
one of the MindStorms
expansion kits ($50
each). We can't wait
to see the evil con-
traptions that
await us next

year in game

developers'

offices.

Windows 95/98, $149
Intei, (800) 538-3373

www.intel.com/createshare

DESPITE A

name that seems to
have come from Barney
the Dinosaur ("Create and
share, kiddies!"), Intel's
Create & Share Camera Pack is
a cool little gadget. This tiny
camera plugs into your PC's USB
port and lets you make live video
phone calls via the internet. Make
video calls to relatives across the
country or use it on a home LAN
so the family can remember what
Dad looks like when he hasn't left
his basement flight-sim cockpit for
days. The package includes an
impressive bundle of software,
including movie and still-video
capture programs, a Web page
creator with video clip
support, and an
image organizer.
There's even a
set of ’'video"

Windows 95 CD-ROM, 5200
Lego, (800) 510-5773
www.legomindstorms.com

SOMEWHERE IN LEGOLAND

beats the heart of a computer
gamer. The makers of the world's
best-loved building blocks have
figured out how to hook up
motors and a processor to a Lego
brick, so you can control robotic
Lego creations from your
PC (via infrared port).

Although Lego envisions

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

'.computergaming-c

You suffer.

jAt tha-nsxt sJbn't stend^id We gallery. Sit atop the leader board. Play,

in the PGA ChaiTip|dhbbip at Sahllee, pr^ cfio'ose from six other world-class courses. You can
even join an on-line tournament. That's PGA Championship Golf 1 909 Edition, wl\ere
unparallef^ jTipuSe-bk&e(^ swing'tect^logy and'tncredible'30 graphics recreate the.SF)ort
of golf from a oasual pund to professional cditnpetition. Ouit watching and start plying.

From t/ie designer of Links 386''

www.sleprasports.com

PLAYERS

Looks left. Fires right. SIX how fast and unjpsdictM

NFL Football Pro '99 le^ you niake the decisions on stur«

Set your schedwle- Cut the price of ticket^. Battle ^tprfrest of th^
action, forget team%anMenient and lay.a hit oh'someone in the i
for NFL Football Pro '99Kustomized tor your fevorite team. Finallj

ile life is in tta
^ng 3D fieldfi^
league on-lljp
Running 3D ^
you're callln

pla^-koSe

Climb in and go door-to-door with 1998's fastest drivers including Earnhardt, Labonte
and Martin. The NASCAR Winston Cup, The NASCAR Busch Grand National and the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck series all in one package. Choose a stock car or truck and
race on 34 of NASCAR's toughest tracks, including 11 new circuits never before available.
From Talladega's 190-f- straightaway to running up through the esses at the Glen,
to the tight oval at Martinsville. Pure racing. Take the challenge: Catch us if you can.

■ i

^ ''

YOU'VE NEVER SEEN AN ALL STAR LINEUP LIKE THIS.

Play the sport .

www.sierrasports.com

THE HOLIDAY HOT 100

4. Redshift 3

5. Computer Gaminti World

the PC, REDSHIFT 3 lets you cre-
ate your own virtual tour of the
stars. You can check out the
destruction wrought by super-
novas, or view Saturn's awe-
inspiring rings from the same
perspeaive as the ancient
Egyptians. Cutting-edge technol-
ogy this isn't, and some of
the screens load a lit-
tle more slowly
than we'd
like.
Still,

the tuto-
rials are
well done
(one female
narrator has a
delightful British
accent), and now that
travel is actually
again, putting it
under the tree is likely to
elicit a surprised smile.

Windows 95 and
Mac CD-ROM, S49.95
Piranha Interactive Publishing,
(602) 491-0500

www.piranhainteractive.com

THE EDITORS AT CGW

normally shun multi-
mediocre products
because they take up
space on our hard
drives that could
better be used for
games. But we'll
admit to a
weakness for
REDSHIFT 3
because,
despite some
flaws, It’s what
multimedia should he:
something fun that you can
actually do with your computer.
The latest in a line of astronomy
programs for both the Mac and

Do it for Scooter.

games that let you interaa visu-
ally with images on the screen.
Playing basketball by waving
your hands in the air to grab a

virtual ball won't keep you
enthralled for hours, but it's a
great way to show off your
computer to friends and family.

Naked edition (12 issues), S19.97; CD-ROM edition
(1 2 issues/12 Windows 95/98 CD-ROMs), S29.97.
Computer Gaming World,

(800) 827-4450

www.computergammg.com

THE HOLIDAYS ARE APPROACHING

rapidly and, as always, that means we can count on
several things at the CGIV office. It means that
staffers will be asking Santa for new NERF weapons
for those drunken office parties. It also means that
CG-ROM Assistant Editor Thierry "Scooter” Nguyen is
going to want to go home to open his presents.
There's just one problem this year: We won't let him.
We've decided that Scooter can't go home until each
and every one of you agrees to subscribe to
Computer Gaming World, the world's first,
best, and most reliable gaming magazine.

It's simple, really. Buy a subscription for
yourself and all your friends, and
you'll receive a monthly dose of the
best and most honest reviews,
previews, features, strategies,
and tips in the business. Don't
buy it, and Scooter spends a
long, lonely Christmas
vacation at the office
with only his force-
feedback joystick to
keep him company.

CGW has been dish-
ing out the straight
dope for 17 years, and
we've only just begun. Who are
you gonna trust? Some faux-hipster,
goateed poseurs who think the greatest game
of all time comes out every year, or the professional,
steely-eyed staff of CGW Do the right thing. Do it
for the fanatic gamer in your life. Do it for Scooter.

/.computergaming.t

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 199B

3Dfx

THE POWER OF 2

If you want to raise youi PC gaming to the next power,
you need the speed and performance of a Voodoo^" 3D accelerator
by 3Dfx^ Interactive. With support for over 500 of the hottest games on
the market, Voodoo^" and its twin Texelfx" processors provide Tri-Iinear Filtering
and Advanced Multi-Texturing to ensure that titles like
Madden NFL" 99 and Half-Life" perform at blazing speeds
and with unreal special effects.

But if your hunger for power stiU can’t be satisfied, then 3Dfx’s
Voodoo^" exclusive SLI mode is the missing link. With the
ability to connect two Voodoo^ " cards together for even
higher frame rates and expanded resolutions, the Voodoo^"

SLI mode wasn’t just built for today’s games -
it was built for tomorrow’s.

Unleash the power of Voodoo^" and put it to work for you.
It’s the ultimate game solution raised to the power of 2.

www.3dfx.com/ voodoo2

SOUTHPEAK™

INTERACTIVE

www.southpeak.com

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moon"

Dork Side OF The Moon is a deep-space
sci-fi adventure that will immerse you in
360° of completely seamless, incredibly
realistic, motion picture-quality gaming.

Video heolITVt,

WIN 95

CD-ROM

fof

ft Takes All Kinds

|k 1 ow you know what type of system the person you're buying
l\l for has, so you can tell If a game will work on it. But you still
haven't actually chosen a game! We've listed a variety of interests
below, along with the genres of games that usually appeal to folks
with those interests. Once you determine the genres to which your
gift recipient would likely gravitate, check the appropriate section
of our "Holiday Hot 100" for some can't-lose games.

INTEREST

SECTION

Aircraft, military aviation, ships

Simulations

Auto racing, motorcycles

Racing, Action

Brainteasers

Classics & Puzzles

Card games, classic games

Classics & Puzzles

Cars and driving

Racing

Children

Kid's Software

Computers

Dungeons & Dragons

Hardware/Santa's Other Surprises
Adventure, Role-Playing Games

Fast-paced action, violence

Action

Football, baseball, golf

Sports

Mental stimulation

Classics & Puzzles

Military History

Wargames, Simulations

Politics

Strategy, Wargames

Science Fiction

Adventure, Role-Playing Games
Space Simulations, Strategy

Sports

Beanie Babies

(Forget computer games—
we suggest an intervention)

ou have gamers in the
family, and you know
nothing would make
them happier than to
find some hot new
entertainment soft-
ware under the
Christmas tree. But
your knowledge of computers
basically boils down to knowing
that PCs and Macs are different,
that you've lost more friends to
the World Wide Web than to mar-
riage or children, and that some
guy name Gates is apparently out
for world domination.

You bravely walk into your
local software store, only to have
your senses assaulted by brightly
colored boxes of all shapes and
sizes. Everything from tanks and
airplanes to dinosaurs and sev-
ered limbs vie for your attention.
How on earth do you choose the
right gift?

The Hardware Choices

The first thing you'll need to
determine is what kind of computer
your gift recipient has — and how
it’s equipped. Of course, doing this
without giving away why you're
asking will take some smooth talk-
ing. You might express interest in
getting a computer of your own
and ask what kind of system he or
she has for comparison.

Is it a PC. running Microsoft
Windows, or a Macintosh? This
determines in which section of the
store you'll need to shop. PCs and
Macs use different programs,
although a very few games will
include both PC and Mac versions
on a single CD-ROM.

Next, you need to determine
which operating system (the pro-
gram that controls how the com-
puter works) your recipient uses.

On a PC, this will normally be
Windows 95/98, Windows 3.1, or
MS-DOS. On a Macintosh, it will be
System 6, System 7, or MacOS 8.
Check the system requirements on
the box of the product you're buy-
ing to determine which operating
system it's designed for.

Most new games are designed
for Windows 95 and 98. If the per-
son you're shopping for has a PC
and is still running MS-DOS or
Windows 3.1, a system upgrade to
Windows 98 might be the gift of
choice instead of a game. Note
that MS-DOS games will run on
Windows 95 systems, but setting
up the computer to run them
properly can be a complex task.
Unless the person you're buying
for is very computer savvy, it's
best to stick to Windows 95
games. If the person you're shop-
ping for has Windows 98, you'll be
relieved to know that Windows 98
uses the same software as
Windows 95. If a game lists
Windows 95 as a requirement, it
should work fine on Windows 98.

Other computer specifications
that you should determine and
check against the game's system
requirements include the following:

• The amount of RAM (generally
16MB, 32MB, or more)

• CD-ROM speed (4x, 8x, or
faster)

• The type of processor (486, or
the faster Pentium and Pentium
II linthe case of a PC]; or
68030, 68040, or PowerPC [in
the case of a Macintosh])

• The speed of the processor (usu-
ally a number ranging from
90MHz to 450Mhz)

It's fine if you have more than
what the box lists for the game's
requirements; a game designed
for a 133MHz Pentium with

16MB RAM should work fine
on a 266MHz Pentium II with
64MB RAM.

Finaliy, if the person you're
buying for owns a PC, you'll need
to find out what kinds of add-ons
the system has. Almost all gamers
will have the SuperVGA-graphics
capability required by today's PCs,
but many of today's hottest
games require a 3D graphics card
as well. You'll generally find two
graphics requirements listed:
Direct3D or 3Dfx. Direct3D games
will work on most computers that

have 3D cards, but games that
specify 3Dfx will generally only
work well if the computer is
equipped with a 3Dfx Voodoo or
Voodoo^ card.

A mouse is de rigueurou today's
PCs, but you will need to determine
if the game requires a joystick or a
gamepad. If so, does the person
you're buying for have one? At
least there's one less add-on has-
sle: If you buy a Windows 95 game,
you shouldn't have to worry about
what kind of sound card your gift
recipient has.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 199B

/.computergaming.(

iviuNaitK ^uunu hwa

i^.y 'pn ' :;|w^

Enter the Monster Sound MXsoo Sweepstakes by visiting our
website at http://www.diamondmn1.com/monstersound300

lo matter where you turn, Diamond’s new k
'-^onster Sound MX300 audio card has
li'ou surrounded. Pop on your headphones

plug in up to 4 speakers and Monster ESUI
. . .'Ound renders the positional audio trapped inside
tJiemos^alistic, adre’n^ne-pumping games. Winner of numerous awards,
it sports a 320 voice DLS compatible synthesizer and 96 independent
hardware-supported audio streams, so you’ll hear each deep rumble to
every high-pitched shriek. It also includes the award-winning Vortex2,
accelerating Aureal’s'"A3D',“ Microsoft DirectSound and DirectSound 3D,
which are featured in over 100 of today’s 3D games. Set up your speakers
and get a full home theater experience with Dolby Digital support. Or use
its cutting-edge MP3 software tools to download Internet music and create
your own MP3 files. Of course, you also get full support for DOS,
Windows'' 95/98, and Windows NT operating systems.

To top it off, a variety of 3D games, DVD samples
and MP3 clips are included. So pick up Monster
Sound today and let your ears pick up 360® of sound. Accelerate yourworld.

ail price. 0 1998 Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. All rlshts rcsened. Diamond and the Diamond logo ate registered trademarks and Monster 3D Is a trademark ofOlamond Mulllmcdia Systems, Inc., 2880 Junction Am
A 3D and Aureal are registered trademarks of Aureal Semiconductor, Inc. Monster Sound Is a registered trademark of Monster Cable. All other trademarks and reglsten}d uademarksare the property of their respective

Go to #209 @ www.computergamlng.com/infollnk

Copping a Feel of the Hottest PC Laptops

LAPTOPS

A re laptop PCs good
for gaming? Getting
straight to the point,
the answer is yes. . .and no. If
you're into wargames, strategy
games, adventures, RPGs, and
puzzle games, you can find hot-
rod laptops that will give you a
good gaming experience no mat-
ter where you travel. But if sims,
action, or sports are your thing,
you'll need to be very selective in
choosing a machine or you'll find
that your expensive new laptop
delivers only a passable gaming
experience. The good news is
that we've seen at least one lap-
top designed, in part, with
gamers in mind — something we
hope starts a trend.

3D: Generation Last

The problem with gaming on today's laptops boils down
to one factor: 3D technology. Decent 3D technology has
finally made its way into portable computers, but laptop
3D lags at least a generation behind the 3D cards you'll
find on desktops, and that's bad news for demanding
gamers. The best laptop 3D cards approximate the perfor-
mance and quality of an ATI Rage Pro card. If you're look-
ing forVoodoo^ or RIVATNT performance, you'll have to
wait a generation or two. And to get even that level of per-
formance, you'll need to buy a top-of-the-line laptop.

Nevertheless, many of us need a laptop. We have work
to do on the road, or we just can't go a day without
checking our email, playing in our online fantasy football
leagues, and reading the erudite, reasoned discussions in
the gaming newsgroups. So if we do have to drop the
bucks on a portable PC, we might as well find one that
we can have fun on too, eh?

In this feature we'll take a look at four laptops that
have what it takes for various segments of gamers. But
first we'll take a look at the qualities you should look for
in a gaming laptop.

Speccing Out
Your Laptop

hat should you look for
in a gaming laptop?
Let's take a look at the
minimum specifications, as well as
some features that can make the
system more useful.

Video

If you play primarily 2D games,
you can get excellent performance
for under $2,000 by buying a fast
Pentium MMX laptop with only
2D video. But be warned:
Adventure, strategy, and RPG
games are starting to make the
transition to 3D, and a 2D-only
laptop might not be good for
games that ship in late 1999.

A better move — if your budget
allows— is to check out a laptop
with 3D video support. But pro-
ceed carefully here, too. Even if a
laptop boasts lofty specs, such as
AGP and Direct3D support, that
doesn't mean it's going to be
good for games. 3D chips like the
S3 ViRGE MX are such poor per-
formers that many 3D games will
revert to 2D mode if that chip is
present. Other laptop chips
haven't seen driver updates for
new versions of DirectX and won't
appear as 3D cards to newer
games. Check out the reviews on
the pages that follow for a look at
the performance of a number of
laptop video chips.

As for laptop screens, there are
two types of LCD screen available:
dual scan (DSTN) and active
matrix (TFT, or thin film transistor).
DSTN screens are poor choices
overall. They refresh very slowly,
and moving objects leave smeared
trails on the screen, so they don't
handle game display well. And
they're not any better on serious
stuff, since fuzzy text and ghosted
images make for a display that's
harder on the eyes, Go for a TFT
screen, which is sharp and can
handle fast motion onscreen.

Unlike monitors, laptops actually
use physical pixels on the screen.
This means the laptop will always
display a single resolution. If you

run a 640x480 resolution game on
a laptop with an 800x600 screen,
it may appear in a letterbox format
in the center of the screen or it
may be stretched to fill the screen.
This stretching is done by doubling
occasional pixels, and can result in
very jagged graphics and hard-to-
read text, Check your laptop and
see if it allows you to manually
toggle the stretching on and off.
This effect isn't as pronounced on
a 1 024x768 screen and some
newer units use an antialiasing
scheme to avoid the problem.

Today's laptops generally have
a minimum resolution of 800x600
pixels, while some high-end mod-
els offer 1024x768. If you have
good eyes, the 1024x768 models
provide more screen real-estate
for strategy games that support
higher resolutions (and that bor-
ing productivity stuff). But be
aware that you'll probably end up
running action and simulation
games in lower resolutions to
obtain a playable frame rate.

Processor and Memory

As is always the case with
games, the faster the processor
the better. However, most newer
games that have hefty processor
demands also require 3D graphics
to get good performance. There's
not a huge difference between the
speed of a Pentium MMX/266
notebook and a Pentium II/266
when you're running STARCRAFT
or FALLOUT, Of course, if action or
sims are your bag, then a Pentium
il/266 or 300 is the processor of
choice — if you have a fat wallet.

As for memory, you'll want at
least 32MB RAM for a Windows
95 system and 64MB RAM on a
Windows 98 notebook. More
memory is almost always better,
and this is doubly true for note-
books. When Windows runs low
on RAM it swaps data out to your
hard disk, which eats battery life.
Bumping up to the next level of
RAM can not only make your
games run smoother, it can also

f.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD * DECEMBER 1998

LAPTOPS

give you more time between battery recharges. Also note that while
memory upgrades can be quite expensive from proprietary notebook
manufacturers, cheaper third-party RAM is available from companies
such as Kingston (www.kingston.com) and CDCE
(vvww.cdce.com).

Miscellaneous Specs

There are a number of other components to consider when decid-
ing which notebook to purchase. Perhaps the most important compo-
nent— one that's crucial to success in so many games— is mouse
pointer control. Although we've never found a notebook pointing
device we truly liked, some are definitely better than others. It's
unfortunate that trackballs— the best choice this side of a mouse for
gaming — are rarely available anymore, even as options. Our next
choice is the eraser-style trackpoint found on IBM, Toshiba, and some
Compaq units. Touchpads just don't offer the precision necessary for
selecting units in real-time games. Of course, you should also plan to
pack an external mouse and use It whenever possible.

Most notebooks ship with at least a 24x CD-ROM, so performance
isn't a problem. However, you may want to look for a mode! that
allows you to connect a CD-ROM and floppy drive simultaneously.
Also, avoid external CD-ROM units, except for the kind that physically
attach to the bottom of a notebook, With the inhumanely small
amount of space you're allocated on today's airliners, you'll never find
a spot for a Discman-style external drive.

One of the big dilemmas with notebooks in years past was finding
a way to attach a game controller. Machines with joystick ports were
few and far between. The units that did have them generally put
them on port replicators, which weren't exactly meant to be portable.
The good news is that the vast majority of new notebooks— including
all the units we tested — have at least one USB port. If you're running
Windows 98 (Windows 95's USB game-controller support is hosed),
just plug in a USB joystick or gamepad and you're set. If you have
legacy hardware you want to use, such as a set of flight controllers,
go to wvvw.fscentral.com and check out the JC Designs Gamecard
Pro, a PCMCIA card that adds a 1 5-pin joystick port.

Finally, consider the battery setup, How long are you going to use
your machine on battery power? Remember that running a game
pretty much cancels out most power-saving routines, which depend
on slowing the system at idle moments. In most games, there are no
idle moments. Even the huge base battery available for Micron's
GoBook2, which can last up to eight hours if you're just typing in
WordPerfect, dies after about four-and-a-half hours running F22 TOTAL
AIR WAR. If you use your notebook only for short periods of time —
hour-long commutes or shuttle flights— a single battery is plenty. But
if you run it constantly during cross-country flights, look for a unit
that supports multiple, simultaneous battery installation.

Finally, you should carefully consider why you're buying a gaming
laptop in the first place. If you think a hot laptop is a cool idea
because you can network it with your desktop and use it for multi-
player games when you're not traveling, consider this: For about the
price of a top-of-the-line Pentium II notebook with a 3D card, you
could purchase a low-end notebook and a Pentium II desktop system.
Whenever Intel ups the specs on notebooks processors, you can find
the low-end being cleared out for under 51,500. And now that the
low end is a PentiumMMX/20D, even a bargain laptop is no slug. If
you can be happy playing games that aren't graphics intensive, enjoy
the budget prices on low-end notebook PCs and invest the savings in
a hot desktop rig for the home network — or a Hawaiian vacation.

Dell Inspiron 7000

Pentium 11/300, 64MB RAM,

6.4GB hard drive, DVD-ROM
(2x DVD, 20x CD), 1 5-inch
display; 9.2 pounds.

Three-year parts and
labor warranty.

$3,499

Dell, (800) 388-8542

www.dell.com

W hen I first started test-
ing notebooks for this
feature. I'd come to the
conclusion that I wasn't going to
find a unit that would satisfy
hard-core simulation and action
gamers, Happily, Dell came in at
the last minute with what may
be the first notebook created, in
part, with gamers in mind,

Dell has captured a wide mar-
ket by splitting its desktop mod-
els between the Optiplex line for
conservative, information-ser-
vices types, and the Dimension
line for performance-oriented
consumers and IS Mafia-free
small-business users. Now the
company is taking the same tack
with its notebook line, with the
conservative Latitude series for
the corporate crowd and the new
Inspiron series for home and
small-office users.

From the looks of the Inspiron
7000's specs, it appears that Dell
has covered all the bases for the
gaming market. It has the fastest
processor available for notebook
computers, the Pentium 11/300.
There's plenty of RAM, 64MB
expandable to 384MB. And the
missing link is here: The note-
book comes with an SMB ATI
Rage Pro LT graphics card, which
offers good 3D performance
(about the level of the original
3Dfx Voodoo chipset).

You'll appreciate the 3D
graphics in all their glory on
Dell's 15-inch LCD screen, which
sports a viewable area as large
as some 17-inch monitors. The
screen is actually larger than the
main portion of the notebook; it
has a "lip" that wraps around
the lower part of the unit. The
screen supports 1024x768 reso-
lution and is sharp and bright.

But my favorite aspect of this
screen is that it antialiases lower-
resolution displays when it
stretches them. It's the only high-
res laptop display we've seen
where you can stretch a game to
fill the screen without getting
ugly text and jagged edges.

The feature list doesn't stop
there, though. Sound comes via a

LAPTOPS

PCI-bus ESS Technologies
I Maestro-2 chip, which includes
I hardware wavetable support for
' good-quality MIDI music output.
There's a welcome volume dial on
the side of the unit. As is the case
I with most notebooks, the speak-
I ers are pretty anemic compared
' to even inexpensive desktop
units, so you’ll want to attach a
set of external speakers when
you're gaming at home.

In addition to an SVGA output,
the unit also has composite and
SVideo outputs, which can be
connected to a television or VCR.
QUAKE II on the family big-screen
TV, anyone? A single USB port on
the back of the unit allows you to
connect a USB game controller. If
you need to connect a 15-pin
game controller, you'll have to
use a PCMCIA gamecard.

Ttie keyboard is a full 1 1 inches
wide, and the keys have a good,
deep throw. The Synaptics touch-
pad is good — as far as touchpads
go — with better precision than
most, but you'll probably still want
to use an external mouse when
you have room.

The unit I tested had a storage
module that combines a floppy
drive with a 2x DVD-ROM. When
you order a unit equipped with
DVD rather than CD, Dell includes
a hardware DVD decoder on the
system board. While there aren't
many DVD games at present, this
capability is great for watching
movies while traveling. The stor-
age module can be removed to
add a second battery, doubling
battery life to nearly seven hours.

All this would be impressive in
any notebook, but in a unit that
sells for S3,499, we were blown
away. If that's still rich for your
blood, don't despair, in the past,
most notebook manufacturers
have offered only a couple of fac-
tory-defined configurations. Dell
is building Inspirons to order, so
you can pop up the company's
Web page (www.dell.com) and
specify your own CPU configura-
tion, memory, hard-disk size (up
to 8GB), CD or DVD, and screen
size. An Inspiron 7000 with a

www.computergaming.CQm

266MHz Pentium II, CD, and 13.3-
inch screen will run about $2,699.

The only significant downside
to the unit is its weight and
bulk — all this power weighs in at
a hefty 9.2 pounds. But consider-
ing that it truly matches the
power of many desktop gaming
rigs. I'm willing to look at it as
free shoulder muscle exercise.
Kudos to Dell for putting together
a unit that doesn’t force gamers
to compromise.

Micron

GoBook2

ik J

Pentium 11/266, 64MB RAM,

3.2GB hard drive, 24x CD-ROM,
12.1 -inch display; 4.4 pounds.
Five-year warranty on memory and
CPU, one-year parts and labor war-
ranty on other components
(three-year parts and labor
warranty, SI 99).

$2,949 (base battery
additional $299).

Micron, (800) 209-9686
www.micronpc.com

T he GoBook2 is worth a look
if you want a powerful but
light notebook or maximum
battery life. Packing a 266MHz
Pentium II and all the usual bells
and whistles into a slim, 4-pound

DirectX3, which could be the
problem. This brings up another
dilemma with notebooks; You
don't generally see the frequency
of video driver updates that you
find for desktop cards.

It's a shame the 30 support
was unworkable, because the rest
of the unit’s design is top-notch.

A single bay lets you plug in a
24x CD-ROM drive, floppy, or
internal battery. Note that you'll
need the optional base battery to
use your CD-ROM drive on bat-
tery power. Micron includes a
cable that lets you use the floppy
drive externally.

The keys have a deep throw,
giving the GoBook2 the most com-
fortable typing experience of the
notebooks we've tested. Three pro-
grammable keys sit next to a won-
derful invention — a one-touch
speaker on/off button. You'll love
this simple but marvelous device
when you forget to plug in your
earphones before launching QUAKE
at full volume on a night flight
There's a good amount of wrist
rest area surrounding the touch-
pad pointing device. Even the
unit's case finish is impressive —
it's a notebook that wouldn't be
out of place in Darth Vader’s study.

If battery life or maximum
portability are your top concerns,
and you can live without 3D
hardware support, the GoBook2
is worth a close look.

Get Connected

I f you plan to connect your lap-
top to a desktop PC for multi-
player gaming, you'll find a
varied of networking solutions
available.

first, there's the traditional
method of using standard
Ethernet cards. That's the solution
popular with CGkV editors for
home networks. Purchase an ISA
or PCI combo Ethernet card for
your desktop PC and a 10-Base-2
PCMCIA card for your laptop, and
you can connect ttie two effort-
lessly using simple coaxial cable,
without having to purchase a net-
work hub at extra expense.

if both your laptop and desktop
are equipped with USB ports, you
might want to check out Anchor
Chips' EZ-Link USB networking
solution. It’s not the fastest con-
nection out there, but it's relatively
inexpensive and it doesn't use a
slot For a full review, see the
October issue of CGW.

Although we haven't gotten a
look at it yet, we're intrigued by
Diamond's HomeFree, a IMB/sec-
ond wireless radio networking
solution. For $229 you get a
combo starter pack, which
includes a PCMCIA card for your
notebook and an ISA card for
your desktop. Internet-sharing
software is also included, so if
you have a fast connection to the
Internet, multiple HomeFree users
can access the Web and latency-
insensitive multiplayer games
simultaneously. We'll have a
hands-on test in an upcoming
issue, but in the meantime check
out www.diamondmm.com/
homefree for more information.

package, this unit is no light-
weight in the power department.
And with an optional base bat-
tery, which adds a pound of
weight but gives 4.5 to 8 hours
of power on top of that provided
by the internal battery, it's the
perfect choice for overseas
flights or camping trips.

Unfortunately, while the
GoBookZ's NeoMagic graphics
chip claims DirectSD support, you
couldn't convince any of the
games we tested of that. As far
as our test suite was concerned,
it was purely a 2D chip. We tried
the latest drivers and tried
updating to DirectXG to no avail.
NeoMagic's Web page proudly
touts support for DirectX2 and

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LAPTOPS

Toshiba
Satellite
Pro 335CDT

Pentium MMX/266, 32MB
RAM, 4GB hard drive, 20x
CD-ROM, 12.1 -inch display;

6.5 pounds.

Three-year parts/one-year
labor warranty.

31,799 (street), $1,599

for dual-scan model. H|HH|

Toshiba. (888) 598-7802

www.computers.

toshiba.com

A s we've pointed out, if you're not
iooking to play action or simula-
tion games on your notebook, a
Pentium system may be all you need.
Toshiba's Satellite 335CDT packs a
266MHz Pentium II processor, a sharp
TFT screen, and an Internal CD-ROM
drive — ail for just under $1 ,800.

The 335CDT uses Intel's 266MHz
Pentium MMX processor, a design avail-
able only for notebooks. And from our

experience with this notebook, we can
see why the chip wasn't released for
the desktop — it comes fairly close to
the performance of its Pentium II coun-
terpart in real-world applications. If
you're looking for a productivity
machine that will run 2D games, the
335CDT is a bargain.

Although the unit is bulky, it has nice
ergonomics. Toshiba's long experience
in building notebooks shows in nice
touches, such as a cover for the power

The Ultimate
Controller for the Road?

U SB game controllers don't exactly glut the market
at the moment, but there's one that Is particularly
suited for gaming on the road. Microsoft's
Sidewinder Freestyle Pro includes a USB adapter and
functions well on the laptops we tested. The Freestyle Pro
I is intriguing as a
. portable device

'''--ft*,. because it can

a ^ ^ ^ function as a joy-

y®*-

' 1 • ■ M

♦ H L a gamepad. Add

■ ]£' its gamepad-

emulation mode

— 1 and you have a

flexible controller solution for when you need to travel
light. For more info on the Freestyle Pro, see our October
issue (CGM/#1 71).

The latest version of the SideWinder Precision Pro joy-
stick also includes a USB adapter, but it's a bit bulky to
take on the road.

On the Bench

Computer

Compaq Armada 7800
Micron GoBook2

SDGameGauge F22ADF QUAKE 11, 640x480 QUAKE 11, 320x240 CPU WinMark

n/a 35.05* ' ' 15.1* 29.8*~ 680

n/a' 17.2* 13.4* 28.1* 683

Toshiba Satellite Pro 335CDT n/a

Dell Inspiron 7000 169

'Software graphics, no 3D acceleration

Computer

Compaq Armada 7800
Micron GoBookZ
Toshiba Satellite Pro 335CDT
Dell Inspiron 7000

FPU WinMark

1,370

1,360

1,020

1,540

Business Graphics Business Disk CD-ROM Battery Life

115 1,040 1,140 ' 1 hr.SOmin.

'.cofnpotergaming.com

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « OECEMBER 1998

1,140

1 hr. 50 min.

1,400

4 hr. 22 min.

When you win more than a dozen awards

for 3D graphics, you don’t need an ad.

You need a speech .

Write a kick ass acceptance speech for Real 3D,
and you could win a StarFighter- powered HSDMHz
Micron Millennia Pentium II system.

I switch to prevent inadvertent
I power oHs.The keyboard has a
I good wrist rest and a central point-
I ing stick; above it are the best-
I sounding stereo speakers of any
I unit in this roundup. The earphone
I jack is conveniently placed on the
I side of the unit next to a volume-
I control dial. The unit is bundled
with a 56K PC-card modem. The
I unit includes integrated floppy and
I CD-ROM drives, so you don't have
I to swap one out to use another — a
I nice touch.

Toshiba bundles a wide variety of
I software with the unit, some inter-
esting and some superfluous, Out of
the box, the Start menu scrolls off
the screen, so plan to spend a bit of
I time cleaning up the hard drive.

On the video front, since the C&T
I graphics chip doesn’t make any
I claims of 3D capabilities, it's not
setting you up for disappointment.

I Performance is fine for games like
STARCRAFT and TOTAL ANNIHILA-
I TION, and business software perfor-
I mance is fine.

The 335CDT doesn't shoot for
I the stars, but what it does, it
does well. If you're looking for
a reasonably fast notebook for
I productivity and a bit of gaming
1 on the side, Toshiba delivers here
I at a moderate cost.

Compaq
Armada 7800

★ ★ ★ Ar

Pentium 11/266, 64MB RAM.

8GB hard drive, 24x CD-ROM, 14.1-inch
display; 8.6 pounds.

Three-year parts and
labor warranty.

$4,275 (street).

Compaq. (800)345-1518
wvwv.compaq.com

■ wanted to love the Armada 7800.
After all, on top of the Pentium 11/266
processor, huge 14.1 -inch screen, and
built-in everything, the unit also promised
a 3D-accelerated graphics chip sitting on
an AGP bus. This seemed like it could be
the ultimate gaming notebook.

Alas, it was not to be. It turned out that
Compaq had put an S3 ViRGE MX "30"
chip on the Armada's AGP bus — ^the equiv-
alent of letting a Ford Fiesta loose on an
Indy car track. When I tried to run 3D
GameGauge on the unit, INCOMING posted
a whopping 12.8 fps, while TUROK actually
took more than a second to render each
frame. F22 ADF would run in 3D mode, but
textures that were supposed to be trans-
parent were black, so sun glare would pro-
duce a series of opaque rectangles.

In another bad design decision. Compaq
put the keyboard right up against the front

SilUJSi

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LAPTOPS

NEC MobilePro 750C

Oil, Say Can You CE?

I f you're pricing notebooks not because you spend much
time gaming on the road, but because you need a produc-
tivity unit for travel and you figured you could use it as a
second gaming rig at home, let us suggest an alternative, Why
not get a Windows CE unit, which offers Web and email
access, Word and Excel, and basic gaming functionality, and
then spend the rest of the money on a full-blown desktop PC
for the home network?

NEC's MobilePro 750C is the first Windows CE machine
I've seen that I really enjoy using. Instead of tiny chiclet keys
or unreliable handwriting recognition, the 750C includes an
actual touch-typeable keyboard. It's a little cramped, but
after about 1 5 minutes of practice I was up to about 60
words a minute.

For your on-the-road productivity, the unit includes stripped
down versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, and Internet Explorer.
There's a built-in 33.6K modem, 1 6MB of RAM, VGA output,
and an 8-hour rechargeable battery.

As for gaming, while Windows CE can't match the selection
and quality of games found on the PaImPilot, there are a
growing number of available games (mostly arcade and
adventure). You'll find many newer games support the 750C's
256-cotor, 640x480 screen. The games are mostly arcade
games and adventures, but with the MobilePro's street price
of under $800, you'll have plenty of cash left over to spend on
a hot desktop PC.

re to shop

Feel The Force!

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edge of the notebook, leaving no
wrist rest area. This makes typing
uncomfortable in many situations.
It's a shame because the full-width
keyboard has a good feel other-
wise, and the embedded eraser-
style pointing stick works fairiy
well in games.

Other than a disappointingly
short 1 -hour, 50-minute battery iife
on our game torture test, the rest
of the Armada design is actually
impressive. The unit has a buiit-in
33.6 modem (upgradabie to 56K)
and Ethernet, four programmable
function keys, good speakers, sup-
port for an optional DVD ROM, and
a beautiful 14,1 -inch screen (which
supports up to 16 million colors).
Processor performance was quite
good, and the graphics turned in
good 2D performance.

The Armada has some good
points mixed in with the bad. But
for a street price of better than
4Gs, we expect darn near perfec-
tion. While previous Armadas have
crossed over weii into the enter-
tainment world (the superb 4000
series was the top choice in our
iast notebook roundup), this one is
purely for the suits.

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Think you've got the strategic skills to challenge some of the greatest military minds of all time, soldier?

It's 1998 and World War n is about to begin. But this time, the outcome is up to you.

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Bg by Loyd Case

Mtt I A I ^ difference a month makes. Last issue,
\j\j we took a look at Matrox's Mystique G200
HR V W and found it to be a solid 2D card with very
w^R respectable 3D performance. Since then, several new
3D accelerator chips have shipped that, at least at the
’^3^ superficial performance level, leave the G200 chip
far behind in terms of 3D. They even outstrip it in 2D

|!| performance.

In this issue, we'll take a look at some of the brand-new
^ boards that will take us to the next level in 3D accelera-
... tion. An interesting trend in 3D graphics is emerging: the
ij use of low-cost, 16MB boards. It wasn't all that long ago
g that PCs shipped with only 1 SMB of RAM. Now we're
p seeing graphics cards with 16MB of local video memory
ii for well under $200 — thanks to the wonders of com-
y; modity pricing. In fact, one board in our roundup supports
jj a whopping 32MB of RAM! Read on for more....

ir !■

■'C'

fjOZ 9086

3D TO DIE FOR

Shipping Products

T hese boards represent products that were shipping or about to ship when we did our testing. They include three
RIVA TNT boards, a couple of Banshee products, the Hercules Terminator Beast, and the new boards from Matrox.

Matrox Marvel G200

Matrox Millennium G200

A ★ ★ A A

T he Marvel G200 is just a bit
siower than the Miliennium
G200, which Matrox attributes to
the use of slower SDRAM on the
Marvel. Despite the lack of speed,
this card is quite versatile. Think of
it as the sport utility vehicle of
graphics cards. It won't get you
there as fast as a funny car, but
you can really load it up.

Inside the Marvel G200 package
is a blue, contoured plastic box
that connects to the back of the
Marvel G200.The box contains
connections for video-in and video-
out, audio-in and audio-out (includ-
ing cable connection) and a cable
TV or antennae input. The Marvel
G200 uses the Zoran motion JPEG
CODEC chip to capture and com-
press video at resolutions at 30fps
at 704x486 NTSC. We looked at the
Marvel G200 TV (available only in
North America), which also has an
onboard TV tuner. The blue break-
out box. which connects to the

card via a three-foot cable, makes
connections to camcorders, VCRs,
and cable TVs much easier. This is
truly a "convergence" graphics
accelerator. The only thing you
might want to add to it is a hard-
ware DVD decoder, available sepa-
rately. Matrox tosses in a copy of
Avid Cinema, a handy nonlinear
video-editing package formerly
available only on the Macintosh.

Until now, the ATI All-in-Wonder
Pro had the field virtually to itself,
but the Marvel G200 ups the ante
for this type of Swiss Army Knife
product. And if the 3D perfor-
mance isn't quite up to the com-
petition, you can always toss in a
Voodoo^ card.

Marvel G200 TV. $349 for
16MB; $299 for SMB. Matrox, (514)
822-6320. www.matrox.com

Pros: Pretty good overall per-
former; lots of video goodies added
m; good image quality; nice video
editing package.

Cons: Performance doesn't stack
up well against the competition.

A .

T he Miliennium G200 is a testa-
ment to how fast this industry
moves. A year ago it would have
easily been the top performer. This
year, it's an also-ran, barely
squeaking ahead of the RIVA
128zx-based V3000ZX card. Even
during the summer of 1998 it was
the performance leader in 2D/3D
graphics accelerator for con-
sumers. So it's really a fast
board — it's just that it's slower
than all the others out there. With
a 3D GameGauge score of 293 on
CGW's 450MHz Pentium II
testbed, the Millennium G200 is
one of the weakest game perform-
ers in the roundup. We had to use
Matrox's OpenGL/Direct3D wrap-
per, since the company's ICD
wasn't quite ready, so the score
may improve a bit in the future.
However, given the G200's perfor-
mance in other Direct3D games,
we don't hold out hope for much
improvement.

The Millennium G200 does
show good image quality, espe-
cially at true-color resolutions.
However, even the Matrox's

www.compulefgaining.com

vaunted image quality falls down
just a bit, as evidenced by 3D
WinBench 98's trilinear MIP-
mapping quality test. This version
of the G200 supports up to 16MB
of SGRAM and has a 250MHz
RAM DAC, which makes it a good
solution for professional 2D graph-
ics users who want decent 3D per-
formance. The Millennium G200
would make a good partner for a
Voodoo^ card, but it really can't
keep up with the new competition.

Millennium G200. $229 for
16MB; $149 for SMB. Matrox, (514)
822-6320. www.matrox.com

Pros: High resolution 2D support;
good add-ons; good image quality.

Cons: Slow when compared to
other cards; even its 2D performance
is no longer leading edge.

AMD^

PML

PROfESSIONAL

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STB Velocity
4400

■k ik -k 'A Ti

S IB has always been bullish on
the RIVA line of chips, and the
company's early support for the
TNT chipset continues this trend.
The Velocity 4400 is a capable TNT
board with the added bonus of a
nice, built-in Tweak utility that
allows you to alter quite a few
settings of the TNT chip. (There's
no clock-rate adjustment, though.)
You can change the OpenGL

gamma, adjust auto MIP-map
levels, and use other features.

The Velocity 4400 placed
second in our testing. The Viper
edged ahead in synthetic bench-
marks, whereas the Canopus
Spectra 2500 eked out a slight
margin in 3D GameGauge —
essentially there was no difference
between the two. STB’s image
quality was flawless, whereas the
Spectra 2500 munged the text
status bar in 3D WinBench — a
throwback to the early days of the
RiVA 128. 1 didn't notice any of
the 2D text fuzziness that was
apparent with some of the early
RIVA 128 boards.

The software bundle is interest-
ing, too. There's a full version of
FORSAKEN, but this version has
been enhanced to support 32-bit
color modes at resolutions up to
1 280x1 024. STB also ships with
Colorific, for color matching and
management: 3D Sensations, an
effects generator for PowerPoint;
and a pair of Assymetric tools for
3D graphics and video editing.

The Velocity 4400 is a balanced
RIVA TNT board with good image
quality, an interesting bundle, and
a terrific little control panel.

Velocity 4400. SI 99 (for 16MB).
STB Systems, (972)234-8750.
www.stb.com

Pros: Great control panel; nice
bundle; solid performance.

Cons: It can't run Glide.

Diamond Viper 550

kkkk

N vidia's RIVA TNT board is the
hottest ticket in the 3D chip
arena (this month, anyway). The
TNT has dual rendering pipelines
and advanced DirectX6 features
such as bump mapping and stencil
buffering. It has all the image-
quality goodies that make for beau-
tiful 3D rendering — and it's fast.

The Viper 550 is Diamond's TNT
card. It's what we would call a
good benchmarking card. It got
the highest scores of all the cards
on the synthetic benchmarks
(WinBench 98, Business WinMark,
and 3D WinBench 98). However, it
slipped to third place in 3D
GameGauge, though just by
a few points.

Like all Diamond products, the
Viper 550 comes with the compa-
ny's InControl utilities, which have
some nice goodies, such as a
virtual pop-up of the Start Menu.
However, the 3D control panel is
more superficial than useful. Like
almost all the cards in the
roundup, the Viper allows you to
turn off V-sync.The tearing you
get from having V-sync off looked
pretty minimal — rather like
Voodoo^.

The Viper 500 is faster than a
single Voodoo^ though it's not up
to Voodoo^ SLI. On the other
hand, it has a SI 99 list price.

The Viper 550 has TV-out, which
works without having to discon-
nect the computer monitor. There's
a bundle that includes MOTOR-
HEAD and some productivity apps.
All in all, the Viper 550 is a fast,
smooth implementation of the
TNT chipset.

Viper 550. S199 (for 16MB).
Diamond Multimedia. (800) 468-
5846. www.diamondmm.com

Pros: Polished utilities;
good performance.

Cons: 3D control panel
isn't that useful.

3D TO DIE FOR

Hercules Terminator Beast

^■ki

T he Terminator Beast is an inter-
esting board in that it's the only
S3 Savage3D-based board in the
roundup. Savage3D is S3's try at
some 3D redemption in the wake of
its poorly performing 3D on the
ViRGE series. If the Beast is any indi-
cation, this attempt at redemption is
mostly successful, but it falls just
short of being a complete success.

For starters, the Beast supports a
maximum of 8MB of video memory.
S3 will counter with its texture com-
pression scheme, recently adopted
by Microsoft for DirectXG. The fact
is, though, that not all games will
use texture compression, so you fail
back on the AGP bus. And while
AGP is relatively fast compared to
PCI, it's not as fast as local video
memory. Maximum 3D resolution is
limited, too, and as more games
support triple buffering this will
become a bigger problem.

Another controversial issue is the
Beast’s capability to automatically
precompress textures In games that
don’t support texture compression.
We ran 3D GameGauge and 3D
WinBench with autocompression on
and off (the benchmark numbers are
with compression o^. We squinted
and watched carefully and didn't
notice any serious artifacting on the
fly. Curiously enough, the Beast

comes with presets for the various
3D GameGauge DirectSD games.

OpenGL support is through both
an ICD and a direct-to-the metal
mini-GL driver. Tbe ICD is slower, but
supports full OpenGL functionality,
while the mini-GL driver is tuned for
QUAKE li-based games. We used the
mini-GL driver for our testing. We did
notice some odd artifacting with
Direct3D games on the 450MHz
testbed — white dots that would
appear in a regular pattern — this
was not an encouraging sight.

in addition, the transparent name
boxes in MOTORHEAO disappeared
when running on the Terminator. We
also had some setup problems on
an Abit-equipped 300MHz Pentium
II that were solved only by getting a
new motherboard BIOS update. The
board is fast, placing between the
TNT and Banshee boards in 3D
GameGauge scores. The 2D
WinBench score essentially tied the
ASUS board for last place.

Overall, the Terminator Beast is a
modest board with ambitious goals
that it doesn't quite meet.

Terminator Beast. S 149 SMB
SGRAMwith TV-oul, SI 29 SMB
SDRAM no JV-out. Hercules, (510)
623-6030. www.hercules.com
Pros: S3 Texture
compression, low cost.

Cons: Slow 2D, limited memory,
minor image quality issues.

Canopus Spectra 2500

k k k k

may improve 2D text quality
a bit. There will also be an

C anopus launches a new
product name with the
Spectra 2500, which is a RIVA
TNT board distinguished by its
compact size and the presence
of a small fan on the RIVA TNT
chip — something they started
with the Pure3D II.

The Spectra 2500 generated
the highest 3D GameGauge
score of the roundup, though
the STB lagged by an insignifi-
cant amount. However, an
image-quality problem cropped
up in 3D WinBench 98 — the
text status bar was garbled in
many of the scenes. We didn't
see any serious artifacting in
the games used in our testing,
but this kind of problem is a bit
worrisome. Let's hope it's some-
thing that can be fixed with a
driver revision. The Spectra con-
trol panel covers a lot of bases
(though not as many as STB’s
tweak panel) but it's somewhat
disorganized.

The Spectra 2500 is built to
coexist with 3Dfx add-on
boards. There's an internal
reverse pass-through for
Canopus Voodoo^ cards and an
external reverse pass-through
for other Voodoo^ products. This

optional daughtercard that
supports vIdeo-in. Canopus is
working on wider distribution,
so you may be able to find a
Canopus product easier than in
the past.

Like all Canopus products, the
Spectra 2500 puts its own
stamp on what might otherwise
be a commodity product.
However, it still needs a bit of
fine tuning.

Spectra 2500. S 199 for 16MB.
Canopus Corp., (408) 954-4502.
WWW. canopuscorp. com

Pros: Fast in games; reverse
pass-through for Voodoo; fan.

Cons: Potential
quality

^.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

It's up to you— and your Bf109G —to intercept a squadron of Allied B-17's headed straight
for Berlin. Experience real dogfights in the Battle of the Ardennes over WWII Belgium.
Where there's nothing between you and the enemy except your ability — and stubborn
determination. You'll fly one of 7 different WWII fighter planes. Allied or Axis, the choice is
yours. And it's all historically accurate, with true-life graphics including 13 planes, flak —
even detailed bridges. Jane's' WWII Rghters. It's authentic seat-of-your-pants flight sim
excitement. Where you do the flying. No backup computers — and no second chances.

Vr’ ■ .. ■

reserres.

N# choice.

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surrexL^er.

bjp--

3D TO DIE FOR

CGW's Image Quality

Hall of Shame

A ll the makers of the various chips and cards are
touting their image quality. For the most part,
image quality has improved, and we're happy that it
is now a major consideration. Even so, we ran across
some quality issues, some worse than others.

All Boards Using
3Dfx's Voodoo Banshee
Notice that the Banshee dithers
between MIP-Maps in 3D
WinBench 98's MlP-map tests.
Holy 1740, Batman!

Matrox G200 (all boards)
Matrox's blues seem to go on forever.

STB Velocity 4400
Here's how it's supposed to be done.

COMPUTER GAiVMNC WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

.^.computergaming.f

3D TO DIE FOR

The Glide Factor

F or a game to take advantage
of a 3D accelerator, it
requires a way for the software
to get at the 3D accelerator's
functionality. This junction is
called an API (applications pro-
gramming interface).

Choosing the right 3D accelera-
tor is complicated by the wide-
spread adoption of a proprietary
API. 3Dfx's Glidft which made a
lot of sense a couple of years ago.
DirectBD was pretty pathetic,
and OpenGL support wasn't yet

widespread. We're starting to see
a waning of Glide-only games
(most new titles that have Glide
support will also support either
Direct3D or OpenGL), Still, there
are a lot of existing Glide-only
titles, and there are still a few key
games showing up every day —
INDEPENDENCE WAR, for example,
If you're buying a new system,
the best gaming rig you can get is
one with a fast AGP 2X board, like
one of the RIVA TNT boards, and a
Voodoo^ card. If you're really

hard-core, you could always add a
second Voodoo^ board for SLI. but
that's excessive for most use5.

If you're buying a new system
and you already have a Voodoo
board, there's probably no reason
to upgrade to Voodoo^ . Get a TNT
board instead. With multitexture
support in both DirectXG and
OpenGL, as well as impressive 2D
speed, TNT covers quite a few
bases, and you can use the
Voodoo board for Glide titles.

Banshee throws an interesting
wrinkle Into the equation. It's
reasonably fast in DirectBD and

OpenGL, but it's no replacement
for Voodoo^ . On the other hand, if
you're on a fairly tight budget,
Banshee looks pretty promising,
although there seem to be a few
early glitches widi Glide — but
perhaps no more so than Voodoo^
had when it shipped. Banshee
also doesn't support single-pass
multitexturing. On the upside, it is
not a Voodoo Rush redux, since
Banshee's 2D performance is quite
good. So Banshee's a good bud-
get solution; It offers Glide sup-
port, although it doesn't equal
TNT in overall performance.

Hercules Terminator Beast
Ounno where these white dots
came from (above). Maybe it
decided to start snowing?

Canopus Spectra 2500
Come on, I don't need new glasses
yet (below). Note the text status
bar at the bottom.

.'.coniputerg.milng,!

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER tags

3D TO DIE FOR

ASUS V3000ZXTV

The V3000ZXTV is cheap, supports
TV-in, and has performance that would
have been leading edge a year ago.

I n a time when Banshee and
TNT boards are being
announced seemingly by the
truckload, ASUS has shot squarely
behind the moving target and
released a RIVA 128zx board. The
good news Is that it's cheap
($129 MSRP). But compared to
the current generation of cards,
it's slow and suffers the now-
famlliar image-quality problems
seen with the RIVA 128 series.

There's not a lot to say about
the VSOOOzx. It's slower in 2D and
3D GameGauge than all the other
shipping cards. It's cheap, supports
TV-in, and has performance that
would have been leading edge a
year ago. It comes bundled with
Rage Software's INCOMING and a
modest video-capture tool. All in
all, there are better cards out
there for just a few bucks more.

Asus V3000ZX7V. $129.

ASUS USA, (510) 739-5
wvm.asus.com
Pros: Cheap; TV-
in and TV-out.

Cons: Performance,
image quality.

Speed is the Key

T here are several trends evolving in computer games that should
shape your decision when considering a new graphics card. One
important trend is multitexturing support. More games are
doing multipass rendering in which textures are
blended together. This results In more realistic
surfaces and better lighting/shadow effects.

Single-pass multitexturing allows a 3D
accelerator to blend multiple textures in
one rendering pass. Until recently, only
Voodoo^ had multitexture support — and
only in Glide/OpenGL
The RIVA TNT, with its dual texturing
pipelines, has multitexturing capability,
which becomes apparent in QUAKE II tests.

Banshee boards trailed the performance of the
stock PA2000 Voodoo^ card by a wide margin on QUAKE
II, even though they ran ahead of the Voodoo^ board in many Direct3D
games. DirectX6 has full support for multitexturing, so we'll likely see
more multitextured games in the future. The recent trend toward dual
rendering engines in newly announced chips only adds fuel to this fire.

Another trend is the movement toward richer texture sets. This
has happened more slowly than we expected, but we are begin-
ning to see titles with 20-t-MB of textures in scenes.
Some of these titles, like Criterion's REDLINE
RACER, were also designed with AGP in mind.
The trend toward higher polygon counts has
an effect, too, because more vertex data
needs to be sent over the bus. The full
setup engine in most newer chips eases the
problem a bit, but it's still there. Huge tex-
ture sets coupled with high polygon counts
can really saturate the bandwidth of the bus.
This partially explains the trend to large amounts
of local video memory. AGP version 1 .0 maxes out
at 528MB per second — but smaller amounts of textures
need to be retrieved at any moment in time if AGP execute mode
is used.

Still, the bandwidth problem has brought us to AGP 2.0 (a.k.a.
AGP Pro), which doubles maximum AGP throughput to 1 GB/sec.
We should see the first AGP Pro boards early next year.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

/.computergaming.t

The Fire. The Cybrids turn on
humanity and destroy the Age of
Hope. Earthsiege begins.

End of The Fire. The daring destruction
of Prometheus’s moon base jails to
uncover signs of the Dark Intellect itself.

2471

2605

2602

Sentinel Cybcrtronix
unveils Prometheus.

2627

A series of defeats forces Earth’s people
to withdraw support for the fledgling
colonies on Luna, Mars, Venus, and
outlying mining stations. The colonists

2652

The Empire and the Cybrids
have amassed huge armadas,
but no one really knows the
extent of the buildup.

2800

Hostilities break out on Mars and
Venus. The Emperor unleashes the
Imperial Fleet to crush the rebellion.
The Cybrids seize the opportunity and
launch n massive invasion armada.
Starsif.gf. begins.

2826

Martian rebels discover advanced
alien technology which shifts the
balance of power. Rebels become a
legitimate challenge to the Empire.

fnceptidnofth'eQ
Fluman Empire. Petresuh I
crowned Emperor.

‘Clearly the frontrunner
in the coming industry-wide
mech war...”

- OGR.cou]

JOIN US.

WWW.STARSIEGE.COM

Go to #1 74 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

FIRST-PE RSDINM

WARFARE

Meta-jumpgate discovered to be part of a
network of interstellar gates. The Diaspora
begins. Humanity begins to spread throughout
the galaxy. “Those Who Jumped, " the first
people travelling through the jumpgate, forsake
the security of the Great Human Empire to
journey into the unknown.

A powerful force of Imperial Knights, the .
Blood Eagle, appear in tribe space to
subdue the Children of the Phoenix for
the Great Human Empire. The conflict
fractures the Children, as groups break
away to form new tribes. This event
becomes known as The Splintering.

2832

Starsiege ends.

3488

3358 '

Settlers refer to themselves as a
"tribeT the Children of the Phoenix.
They claim to follow the teachings of
the renowned warrior Harabec
Weathers, hero of the Cybrid Wars.

3455

3458

The Starwolf tribe forms,
supposedly founded by
renegades from the Children of
the Phoenix and Blood Eagle.

--■%?-

-4

.ribal culture is now in a perpetual state
of war. The Blood Eagle, far from their
homes for decades, have come to consider
themselves a “tribeT Finding HERCs
impossible to maintain, they adopt the
flexible armors used by the many tribes.

Blood Eagle forces prevail in the
Hepta Ourubis system following
use of ecocidal weapons. Starwolf
losses are high.

353D

3340

iCjujiam'

Out of nowhere
comes a game that
threatens to surpass
both Quake II and
Unreal for multiplayer
supremacy. "

- Next Generation

a JOIN US.

WWW.STARS1EGE.COM

19S8 Sierra On-Line. Inc, All rights reservsQ. ® and TM deslgnale lindemarks cl, nr licensed lo Sierra On-Li

, Go to #1 78 @ www.computergaming.com/infoNnk

Dynamix

AjtUHRA COMPANY

34BD

Formation of the Diamond Sword tribe
under the tutelage of the Enlightened
Master. Using innovative strategies and
striking with precision and economy
the Diamond Sword rapidly carve out a
large holding for themselves.

3332

Rough census by the Children of the Phoenix
shows that of the hundreds of smaller,
independent tribes, an “alarming number"
have either allied with or agreed to non-
aggression pacts with either the Starwolf or
Blood Eagle. Already the skirmishes have
increased, and bloodfeuds grow more common.

3D TO DIE FOR

QuantumBD

Raven

-k-kiKi

Q uantumBD squarely aims at
the consumer market with
this no-frills, $149 board that uses
BDfx's new Banshee chip. The
board ships with 16MB of
SDRAM. The bundle hadn't been

firmed up at press time, but if
QuantumBD's hopes are realized,
it should be unique.

One thing is apparent from our
testing of all the Banshee boards;
This is not your Daddy’s Voodoo
Rush. While performance wasn't
up to the level of TNT (except for
MOTORHEAD,) Banshee performed
quite well in 2D and BD bench-
marks and game scores. The lack
of a second texture unit hurt it in
QUAKE II scores,
but all the other
games fared reason-
ably well.

This particular
Banshee board took
everything we threw
at it with one minor
exception: ironically, it
wouldn't run MOTOR-
HEAD in BDfx Glide
mode (but it did run
just fine in DirectBD
mode). We tested an

AGP board in the 450MHz sys-
tem. Although the Raven was one
of the more stable Banshee
boards, it was also a bit slower
than the others. It tied the
Guillemot Phoenix for the best
scores on our MOTORHEAD high-
res torture test, pumping out
27fps at 1280x1024. MOTORHEAD
doesn't appear to be particularly
texture rich, so most of its tex-
tures probably fit into the local
video memory.

Given the bundle (that we can't
talk about, or we'd have to shoot
you), QuantumBD's growing reputa-
tion for customer support, and the
price, the Raven bears serious con-
sideration.

Raven. $149 for 16MB.
QuantumBD. (408)919-9999.

WWW. quantumSd. com

Pros: Glide support: good per-
formance; good control panel;
potentially good bundle.

Cons: Glide not fully working yet.

Guillemot

Maxigamer

Phoenix

k k k k i

G uillemot's Phoenix rounds out
the shipping Banshee boards
. The price is certainly right; It's
$149 and ships with a $20 rebate
coupon, for a stellar price of $1 29
for a 1 SMB Banshee board. All we
can say is, ain't cheap memory
grand. We tested the PCI board in
both the 450MHz Pentium II, as
their AGP board wasn't ready yet.
It gave us a chance to see how
PCI Banshee fared versus the AGP
card, we had suspected there
would be very little difference,
since Banshee is really a souped-
up PCI part, and we were right. In
fact, the Phoenix posted scores
that were neck and neck with the

Performance Benchmarks

3D GameGauge (sooxeooxie)

■o

Aopen PA2000 |
ASUSV3000ZXTV I

Canopus Spectra 2500
Diamond Viper 550
Guillemot Phoenix AGP
Hercules Terminator Beast
Matrox Marvel G200
Matrox Millennium G200
QuantumBD Raven AGP
QuantumBD S12 AGP
STB Velocity 4400

Total

383.8

264.5

487.8

477.6

421.7

443.9

281.8
293.8
377.3

392.0

483.0

Diamond Viper 550 PCI
Guillemot Phoenix PCI

232.8

165.4

Mow WG Tested vVe tested most of the boards on CGW'% No-
Holds-Barred machine, equipped with 1 28MB of SDRAM, an intei 450MHz Pentium li,
and 440BX chipset. The system aiso had a Monster Sound MX200 and aii SCSi storage
components. The Pentium 200MMX system had an iSA sound card, EiDE storage
devices and 64MB of EDO DRAM — a configuration similar to those used by many CGW
readers. Each card was tested on a squeaky dean Windows 98 instaii with DirectX 6.0
Both systems were configured for gaming, so audio and networking was enabled.

We used WinBench 98'5 business graphics WinMark to test 2D Windows perfor-
mance (at 1024x768x16), though the score wasn't heavily weighted. In truth, most of
these cards are fast enough in 2D. We also used 3D WinBench 98 as a synthetic 3D
benchmark and to take a closer look at the image quality of various rendering fea-
tures, The primary test, though, was CGW’s 3D GameGauge, which uses six shipping
titles to test overall gaming performance. The 3D GameGauge scores were all recorded
at 800x600. We've decided it was time to drop 640x480 testing, as it didn't really

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

v.compulprg.ifning.c

PCI Cards AGP Cards

3D TO DIE FOR

somewhat less stable (but beta)
version of the Diamond Monster
Fusion. We did run into a problem
on the Pentium 200MMX test-
bed: FORSAKEN wouldn't run, but
this is one of the most finicky
tests we have. There were no
problems on the Pentium II.

Guillemot is clearly trying to
stake out the value position for
their products. Not long ago, they

dropped the price of their 12MB
Voodoo^ card to $1 59— and now
we have a 5129 card with 16MB.
You give up a few frills but at that
price, it's definitely worth check-
ing out.

Maxigamer Phoenix. S 129 with
rebate coupon. Guillemot, (800) 967-
0863. www.guillemot.com

Pros: Fast cheap.

Cons: Basic amenities.

3D WinBench 98
Business
Graphics

3D WinBenci
98 (800x600)

Fill-Rate
Torture Test
Motorhead (12x10)

Aopen PA2000

N/A

885

N/A

ASUS V3000ZXTV

164

970

Canopus Spectra 2500

234

1460

Diamond Viper 550

248

1670

Guillemot Phoenix AGP

226

1320

Hercules Terminator Beast

165

1290

Matrox Marvel G200

170

796

Matrox Millennium G200

198

816

QuantumSD Raven AGP

227

1280

Quantum3D S12 AGP

N/A

1000

N/A

STB Velocity 4400

247

1630

Diamond Viper 550 PCI

106

496

Guillemot Phoenix PCI

101

500

N/A

differentiate some of the cards. In addition, we used Gremlin's MOTORHEAD (version
1 ,3) to test high resolution 3D performance — up to 1 280x1 024. We recorded a play-
back loop, then captured the average frame rate.

The PCI cards were tested on a Pentium 200MMX system. The Guillemot Phoenix
was also tested on the 450MHz system because we didn’t have the AGP version. It
didn't really make a difference, since Banshee is really just an enhanced PCI part, and
doesn't support advanced AGP features.

3D GameGauge

Real-World Performance Testing

W e all know
that the real
reason to get
a 3D accelera-
tor is to play

games. So it makes a lot of
sense to test 3D graphics cards
using real 3D games. Unfor-
tunately, there aren't any estab-
lished benchmarks for testing
3D cards with PC games. So we
created the 3D GameGauge to
do just that.

3D GameGauge is a perfor-
mance index that measures the
speed of six popular PC games.
We test the frame-rates on a
standard demo loop for
each game and
combine the
totals to
yield the
3D Game-
Gauge score.

We've shown
this number
next to each
card reviewed
here, along with a
reference number for
comparison. We derived the ref-
erence number (392) by running
the same test on our test-bed
Pentium II 450 using a 12MB
Voodoo^-based Diamond
Monster 3D II. We believe
gamers will be most satisfied
with a 3D card that either
comes close to this score or
beats it. If it doesn't, we don't
recommend that board for its
3D performance, although it
may have other features —
video capture, TV tuner, etc. —
that appeal to you. The 3D
GameGauge score gives you a
good idea of how a card will
perform on a variety of titles.

The six games comprising the
test are FORSAKEN, INCOMING,
TUROK, QUAKE II, QUAKE, and
F22 ADF.The games cover a
gamut of performance types.

For example, FORSAKEN has a
fairly low polygon count, but

emphasizes fill-rate. QUAKE II
has a higher polygon count
than the other titles (except
possibly Incoming) and is a
good OpenGL test case. F22
ADF is a flight sim with over
8MB of textures, which can
stress the card's ability to move
textures across the bus.

We run 3D GameGauge titles
at a resolution of 800x600x16
with audio enabled. A graphics
card may have higher frame-
rates when it has the whole sys-
tem to itself, but performance is
often affected when other things
are happening. If the card allows,
we disable "wait for V-
sync" to get a better
idea of the card's
rendering
"headroom."

In the future,
we'd like to
see more
games sup-
porting triple
buffering and
higher resolutions. This
would make testing a lot easier.

in addition to the 3D
GameGauge, we use other
benchmark tests to determine
video performance. Those tests
are described along with our
performance results on the pre-
vious page under How We
Tested. There you will also find
a description of the test-bed
system used for this survey.

The 3D GameGauge is the
best available method for evalu-
ating a card's 3D graphics speed
when it's running games. How-
ever, we are constantly working
to improve the GameGauge by
replacing older games with
newer, more robust titles that
support enhanced features such
as triple buffering and higher res-
olutions. ZD Benchmark Opera-
tions is also working on a bench-
mark using 3D GameGauge to
deliver a rigorous, application-
based 3D benchmark.

v.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER II

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3D TO DIE FOR

drivers would run well on this
particular card.

At $199 list for a 12MB, the pric-
ing is reasonable, but the only ref-
erences 1 could find on the Net
were for higher prices. The bundle
is interesting, except that many of
the games are merely playable
demos. There are full versions of
TUROK, FLIGHT UNLIMITED II,
STRATOSPHERE, and JOINT STRIKE
FIGHTER, though the documenta-
tion is entirely on the CD.

This is an undistinguished
Voodoo^ design that clearly
demonstrates the increasing com-
modity nature of 3Dfx accelerators.

PA2000. $199 for 12MB. AOpen.
(888) 852-6736. www.aopen.com

Pros: Extensive software bundle;
nice CD hard case.

Cons: Just another reference
board design that ships with the
reference drivers.

AOpen

PA2000

A ☆ A / .

H ere we have a Voodoo^ refer-
ence board, We immediately
noticed that the PA2000 number
was taped on the PA2000 circuit
board. Peeling the label back
revealed the 3Dfx logo, some-
thing we'd only seen on 3Dfx ref-
erence boards. 3Dfx reference

Quantum3D AGP S12TV

have richer texture sets and higher
triangle counts, this card will come
into its own, but right now I'd
rather get a fully AGP compliant
card — or even a Banshee — for a
lot less.

AGP S12TV. $349 for 12MB.
QuantumBD, (408)919-9999.

WWW. quanium3d. com

Pros: Voodoo^ for AGP. . .

Cons: .. .except that we're not
really sure why; very expensive.

W e occasionally get messages
asking about AGP Voodoo^
As the PCI Banshee boards indi-
cate, AGP doesn't buy you a whole
lot with current 3Dfx technology.
Quantum3D has a nifty demo that
shows a large number of video
streams being textured over multi-
ple objects. The demo brings a PCI
Voodoo^ to its knees, but the dedi-
cated 66MHz AGP port handles it
with aplomb. Of course, I don't
know any games that do this yet,
but that may yet come to pass.

What an AGP Voodoo^ board
might be good for is if you
upgrade from an existing PCI sys-
tem. If you have a decent 2D card
and are breaking your budget try-
ing to get everything, buy the SI 2
AGP. The only problem with this
theory is that it's 5349; so you
could buy an AGP primary card
and someone else's Voodoo^ card
for the same price.

Performance is a bit bet-
ter in 3D WinBench than
that of PCI Voodoo^
cards, but 3D
GameGauge only comes
in slightly faster than a
generic Voodoo^ card.

Perhaps when games

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD

DECEMBER 1996

3D TO DtE FOR

Almost

There...

W e also looked at a number of boards that were almost, but not
quite ready for prime time. Most of the problems appear to be
driver issues more than anything else, and by the time you read this,
the boards should be shipping.

WickedBD Vengeance

Y a gotta love the names of some of
these products. The Vengeance is a
Banshee reference board design.
WickedBD, a division of Metabyte, adds
value by delivering enhanced drivers. The
original WickedBD Voodoo^ card was an
unassuming reference board design
enhanced by drivers that could run at
slightly better resolutions than most
Voodoo^ boards.

The Vengeance actually ran most of
our tests, but it would freeze up when
trying to run GL QUAKE. At press time,
the engineers at WickedBD suspected
BiOS issues and were busy working on
the probiem. The board will be priced
at Si 49 for a board with 1 6MB of
SDRAM.

Vengeance. $149. WickedSD, (510)
494-4700. www.wicked3d.com

The Generawn ofj
Extreme Co&ol |

You've been gaming ever since you got
weaned on Pong as a kid. Now you want a
stick that'll do it all. Programmable.
^ Digital. Analog. Comfortable. Cool.
I Different. New.

I GenX 700 by QuickShot is all that and
i more. This programmable stick comes

I I complete with switches to move between
I digital and analog modes for the HAT,
I rudder, handlefire buttons andX&Yaxes.
I plus a 3D rotational handle and a multi-
|. view' HAT switch. This stick's super-
g ergonomic with a contoujgd BioThrottle"*
I complete with extra fireiuttons. And the
§ GenX 700 is a really cool metallic purple
I color — sure to look perfect anywhere.

i- Don't forget to check out our streamlined
I’ GenX 500 and 500L — the world's first
^ joystick made for lefties!

5 Punish yourself no more. Enter the
I generation of extreme control.

I GET THIS SnCK!

i.quickshot.'

Go to #260 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

i'.computergaming.<

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD - JULY 1998

Some cry because of the challenging gameplay. Others cry for their enslavetl brothers. But
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In the classic Oddworld tradition, Abe's Exoddus delivers more intuitive communication and
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Deadlier farts.

New & improved save teature!
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Welcome to the tastiest gaming brew ever concocted. Slug it dovyn.

ANAU-niEWEPIC
FROM THE CREATORS OF
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Slap some sense into those lUudehons
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A rmmplete Exoddus reipiires more
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EvD ruled- hut Ahe's new powers j
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Introducing the PC game ior baseball
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3D TO DIE FOR

Diamond Monster Fusion

T he first thing you notice about the
Monster Fusion is the massive fan
over the Voodoo Banshee chip. It's
actually a cool looking, flat
fan/heatsink. It works, too. Despite
having 125MHz SGRAM, the AGP
Monster Fusion board never got more
than warm, as opposed to other
Banshee boards that got almost too
hot to touch.

It was almost, but not quite, ready
to ship when we checked it out. Both
the AGP and PCI versions would crash
to the Windows desktop when trying
to run the 1 .3 and 1 .4 versions of
MOTORHEAD. Fusion completed all
other tests, coming in slightly ahead
of the Guillemot Phoenix and stands
the potential of being the fastest
Banshee board out there. It's also a
little more expensive at S159, but It
does have SGRAM. The Fusion PCI
comes with 1 6MB of SDRAM and is
priced at $149.

Monster Fusion. Si 59 for 16MB
AGP; SI 49 for 16MB PCI. Diamond
Multimedia. (800) 468-5846. wmv.
diamondmm.com

Number Nine Revolution IV

L ast year. Number Nine vowed to
improve the 3D performance in its
next generation part. The good news is
that the company kept its promise, and
the Ticket-to-Ride chip is two to four
times faster in 3D than the original
Revolution 3D. The bad news, based on
our testing, is that it may not be good
enough. While the 3D WinBench score
is decent, the board doesn't seem to
have the fill-rate needed to handle
games all that well. What's more, the
Windows 95/98 OpenGL driver that the
company sent us was pretty unstable.

However, it also felt somewhat
unfinished, so it's possible that a sig-
nificant amount of driver tuning may
speed things up. One good thing
about the board is that it will come in
a 32MB version — that's right, 32MB
of local video memory, and the price
will be right, too.

Revolution IV. S 169 for 16MB; S219
for 32MB. Number Nine Visual
Computing, www.nine.coin

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

rf.computergaming.c

l!0®"

Creating

the Live! experience.
pDueu&qxd dqj. qaij

awesoj

APHICS

DVD

sensi

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CREATIV:

Youll be captivated!

on in audio.

Sound

( ' mim

( a^thispcice^.,.( ( ( EIlllDflSi'
I {posjsibly the b,est{ ( I

( bUylnPCAudioX

^ * — t^C teai^er^O(itoi/er ^99^^

< ( > ( C C t (. C -C
( ( C ( ( ( ( tljlJE
( ( (

SoufJd Blaster- Live!
C soind ^ard^ev^rj 1

blaster

kJound Blaster® Live!"* changes everything you know about audio. We will
surround you with an Environmental Audio” sound experience so amazingly
real, it has to be Live! Create new experiences with a wealth of breakthrough

technology that surpasses most

§ 9 ^ ^ Environmental
Audio-

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Hollywood-quality audio equipment.
Modify any sound source in real-time
using amazing audio special effects
like flanger, pitch shifter echo, and
distortion. Record and playback crystal-clear audio using the included digital
inputs and outputs. Hear audio with more clarity and vibrance than you’ve
ever heard before with hardware accelerated audio streams and multiple
speaker support. Experience the ultimate in gaming with Environmental
Audio” support in the coolest new games. Not only will Sound Blaster®
Live!"' make your existing games and legacy audio sound so clear, it will be
like hearing them for the first time. It’s the audio thrill of a lifetime.

(C A A t B R I D gT)

SoundworkS

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To maximize your true surround-sound experience, add the Cambridge
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speakers and a separate powered subwoofer
to produce effective 3D positional audio —
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can experience truly immersive 3D audio.

Sound Blaster® Live!’" features:

> Hollywood-quality re-creation with an astounding -l20dB noise floor > E-mu's most
powerful audio processor with lOOO+MIPS and 8-point interpolation > Digital I/O card for
easy connection to music keyboards and digital audio recorders > Environmental Audio”
— enhances all audio content from the past, present, and future > Livelware program
provides updates over the life of the product > Rapidly growing support for EAX titles

Cambridge SoundWorks® PCWorks FourPointSurround "features:

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can be placed anywhere with the included tripod stands, and wall mounting accessories

> In-line master volume control for all four satellite speakers and subwoofer > Delivers
discrete 4-channel 3D positional audio with Microsoft® DirectSound3D and Creative’s
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buckle up and brace yourself for the visual ride of your life! 3D Blaster™
Banshee explodes with rocket-fast 2D performance, startling 3D frame rates,
and break-neck video acceleration with an absolutely out-of-this-world price.

Its screaming speed comes from the ! 28-bit 3Dfx
Banshee” processor, which offers Voodoo2-like
performance. A full 16MB of I OOMHz synchronous
memory and a 250MHz RAMDAC gives you
ultra-high resolution and millions of colors.
With DirectX”, Glide and 3Dfx OpenGL™
drivers, tuned for compatibility with the widest range of applications and
games, this affordable, easy-to-install graphics accelerator is a must for every
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Graphics Blaster™ RIVATNT delivers blood-curdling performance. Its packed
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When you need to work with incredible precision and play games with liquid-
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3D Blaster” Banshee features:

> Complete 2D/3D graphics solution based on the new Voodoo Banshee chipset
from 3Db< Interactive® > Features a full 128-bit graphics engine and Voodoo2 3D
rendering technology > 16MB of SDRAM and 250MHz DAC deliver awe-inspiring
resolutions, rock-solid refresh rates, and stunning visual quality > Boosts your PC’s
performance and provides compatibility with the widest range of applications and
games in a single, cost effective upgrade

Graphics Blaster " RIVATNT features:

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> Ultra-wide, high speed 128-bit memory architecture andTwiN-Texel 3D pipeline deliver
mind-numbing speed in virtually any application > 16MB l25MHz synchronous memory
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in collaboration with Digital Extremes. Published and distributed by GT Interactive Software Corp.

I Work & Learn

3D TO DIE FOR

Event Horizons and Trends

T here are a number of incoming chips that we picked up in our over-the-horizon radar. They
continue a couple of interesting trends that we've seen in our roundup.

The first trend is boards with lots of local video memory. Most of the boards tested now ship in
16MB versions, and some retail boards are available only in 16MB versions. (For the price conscious,
beware that some OEM boards may only have SMB, and may not be expandable.) Even SMB Voodoo^
boards have all but disappeared, with 12MB boards now the norm.

Number Nine Is even shipping a 32MB version of its Revolution IV, and ATI has announced a pair
of 32MB products using their Rage 128 chip.

Another trend is integration of dual rendering pipelines. The first part with dual-rendering
pipelines on a single chip is nVidia's TNT. The Rage 1 28, which is probably shipping as you read this,
also sports dual-rendering engines, as does 3Dlabs Permedia 3 and Rendition's recently announced
Rredline accelerator. So here's a quick rundown on each of these new parts.

ATI Rage 128

he Rage 128 has been redesigned

from the ground up and bears lit-
tle resemblance to the Rage Pro. in
addition to two rendering pipelines, it
has full hardware DVD decoder capa-
bility on the chip. So with the right
software support for DVD region
encryption, you won't even need a
daughtercard. The chip is manufac-
tured using a process {0.25 micron)
that can cram more transistors in a
given space — the Rage 128 has 7
million transistors. The first versions
will likely run at 1 0OMHz, but 1 25
and 1 50MHz is possible. The chip can
also support a higher speed variant of
SDRAM, called Double Data Rate
RAM (DDR RAM.)

ATI is shipping two boards of
interest to gamers. The Rage Fury
uses the Rage 128GL chip, which
also powers a workstation card —
the Rage Magnum. The Fury comes
with TV-out and 32MB of RAM; the
announced price is 5299 for 32MB.
The Xpert 1 28 will have 1 6MB of
RAM, and will cost less. Driver sup-
port is likely to be robust, with full
DirectX6 and OpenGL ICD drivers.

SDLabs Permedia 3

he Permedia 3 has twin rendering
engines and the ability to man-
age texture usage in hardware. At
presstime, no boards have been pub-
licly announced.

On paper, the chip looks pretty
fast — 3DLabs is claiming a maxi-
mum fill-rate of 250Mpixels/sec. Like

ATI's new part, Permedia 3 will also
be built using a 0.25 micron process
and will max out at 16MB of
SDRAM orSGRAM.

Rendition Rredline

N ot a lot is known about this
chip yet. It does have dual ren-
dering engines, and apparently has
on-chip support for dual monitors.
Rendition is aiming for the 250
megapixel range at a minimum. The
company, recently acquired by
Micron, is under the gun to deliver
a competitive part. Rendition was
one of the first companies to ship a
3D accelerator aimed at gamers,
but they haven't been able to keep
up with the frantic release schedule
of new technology from competi-
tors. Let's hope that the Rredline
will keep this 3D pioneer in prime
fighting form.

PowerVR Second
Generation

W e've heard relatively little from
Videologic or NEC on the
PowerVR front. The PVRSG, as it's
known, still uses the infinite planes
rendering method, but adds a lot of
hardware functionality to accelerate
DirectSD better. NEC's plans for PC
products have been somewhat
delayed because Sega chose
PowerVR for its Dreamcast console
system, which has been eating into
NECA/ideologic engineering
resources, though it's possible we'll
see PC product early in 1999.

The Bottom Line

I n scoring the cards, we took a look at several factors. Setup
was an important issue, but most cards these days are rea-
sonably easy to install. Most cards also now ship with indepen-
dent setup programs that allow you to force a driver install if
Windows is reluctant. We noted any setup issues in the individ-
ual reviews, included in our setup considerations were any sup-
plied control panel or accessory software to tweak the card.

Performance in 3D GameGauge was the major test, but we
also took a good look at synthetic benchmark results. Image
quality has also figured high on our list. Additional features,
such as enhanced expandability, were also taken into consider-
ation, and software bundles were only a minor consideration.

Based on this, our pick for top honors is the STB Velocity
4400. Although the Canopus Spectra 2500 had marginally
higher 3D GameGauge numbers, the image-quality problem
we noticed in 3D WinBench 98 concerns us. Diamond's Viper
550 is a great card, too, but the control panel utilities aren't
quite as robust as the STB's.

Don't sell the Banshee cards short, either. Although 3D
GameGauge performance trailed the TNT boards, the ability
to run Glide (3Dfx) games is a big plus, as is their relatively
low cost. Of the two shipping quality Banshee boards, the
Guillemot Phoenix is our pick, it's combination of low cost
and good performance makes it a winner for those on a bud-
get. Diamond's Monster Fusion looks promising — particularly
the AGP version, with SGRAM on board — but it wasn't quite
final when we looked at it.

The Terminator Beast is an interesting product that gener-
ated good 3D GameGauge scores, but we have some con-
cerns about image quality and 2D performance. The SMB limi-
tation is also an issue. The Matrox boards — the speed king in
2D/3D combo cards only a couple of months ago — have
already been eclipsed, though the Marvel G200 is an excel-
lent multipurpose board.

All of these boards easily eclipse last years crop of 3D
accelerators. It's clear from recent announcements that the
graphics chip battles are far from over. But these accelerators
are finally approaching the kind of features and performance
that we've all been longing for.

i'.compute''gamlng.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

HERE’S WHY.

“(In iF/A>i8E CSF).. .you'll never have to fly
the same mission twice, and you'li experience
an unprecedented degree of interaction
between allied and opposing forces on the
land, in the eir, end on the seas."

- All About Games

"Beyond the very realistic gameplay Eln
Spearhead], I the graphics in this Tunisia
based combat game look fantastic."

- Next Generation

4Ve out of 5 Stars • Great Battles of Alexander
4 out of 5 Stars • Great Battles of Hannibal
4 out of 5 Stars • Great Battles of Caesar

- Computer Gaming World

"If you like empire building games.. .you'll
love Knights S Merchants."

• PC Games

"...this could be the best looking wargame
of this type ever."

- Computer Games Strategy Plus

www.imagicgames.com
Go to #168 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

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I Don't Play,

iMac

Cute and Zippy, but Not for
Serious Gamers

by Dave Salvator

Photo by Michael Falconer

wvvvv.cofnpLitL'rgaming.com

iMAC

Despite some forward-thinking design
ideas, iMac too often favors form over
function, which wili put it on the express
train toward obsoiescence for gamers.

espite its repu-
tation for inno-
vation, Apple
was recently a
company In

need of good news. The company
that brought the graphical user
interface (GUI) to the masses in
1984 was facing eroding market-
share, a sagging stock price, and a
serious crisis of confidence among
the Macintosh faithful. Enter the
IMac, Apple's paean to the original
Macintosh, which upon its release
started selling like gangbusters.

Apple seems to have a runaway
hit on its hands, so much so that
Japanese consumers can't even
get their hands on one. Heck, we
had to do a midnight raid on
sister-publication Equip \ust to get
one (don't tell them we swiped it.)
In some sense, the iMac, which is
targeted at new users interested
primarily in the Internet, does
mark a return to glory for the
house that Steve and Woz built.

But is this wundeibox something
gamers are going to want? Not if
they are serious about gaming.

computer' 1

APPEAL: StudenB, new computer users
interested primarily in the Internet; not
gaming enthusiasts.

PROS: Compact form factor; solid CPU;
convenient USB placement.

CONS: Very outdated 30 graphics
engine; innards not readily accessible.

What's in the Box;

CPU: G3 233MHz PowerPC
RAM: 32MB SDRAM
(expandable to 128MB)

2D/3D Graphics: ATI Rage lie
Graphics RAM: 2MB S6RAM
(expandable to 8MB}

Hard Drive; EIDE 4GB
CD-ROM: £IDE 24x
Modem: S6K, supporting
KSBFIex andV.90

USB: 2 ports on CPU, two on keyboard
Networking: Onboard
10/100Base-T Ethernet

Ptice:S1,299

Uarrutsciuter; Apple Compjier
Cupenino, CA
(408) 996-1010

In returning to the integrated
CPU/CRT design of the original
Mac, iMac brings a streamlined
retro look to an industry chock-
full of beige box and monitor
combos. Unfortunately, despite
some forward-thinking design
ideas, iMac too often favors form
over function, which will put it on
the express train toward obsoles-
cence for gamers.

Somewhat reminiscent of the
Macs of old Is iMac's lack of
upgradabllity and limited accessi-
bility to what few upgrades are
possible. Then of course, there are
the glaring design holes, like oh,
say, the complete lack of remov-
able writable media. That's right,
no floppy drive, no Zip drive, noth-
ing. Let me give you an idea of
the aggravation this can cause:

The only way I could actually write
this piece on the iMac was to
hook up its modem, connect to my
ISP, and email the review to
myself. Apple will be making a
USB floppy drive for iMac that
may be available as you read this,
and Iomega has announced a USB
Zip drive due out later this year or
early next year. But these devices
won't be cheap and will detract
from iMac's integrated design.

For all of its aspirations, iMac
winds up often feeling like a 38-
pound laptop. Highlights include a
CD-ROM drive that could have
easily been pulled from a lap-
top — and at least mobile
machines have solved the inte-
grated floppy/CD-ROM problem.
Rounding out the mix is a small
keyboard with a mushy action,
and a hockey puck-like mouse,
which might be useful for those in
the animal kingdom not graced
with opposable thumbs, but for
humans it's uncomfortable almost

to the point of uselessness. One
happy footnote: Logitech's two-
button USB mouse with scroll-
wheel does work with the iMac,
although Logitech hasn't yet made
a driver available to enable full
functionality.

Another annoyance is that this
sucker is noisy, mainly because the
CPU is on your desktop. The com-
bination of CPU fan noise, the
hard-drive spinning, and the spin-
ning up of the CD-ROM drive
makes quite a ruckus.

The iMac's CPU is a G3
233MHz PowerPC. This is an
extremely capable CPU that can
move business apps and games
along well. G3s feature a 51 2KB
Level 2 (L2) cache with its own
backside bus that runs at half the
CPU's core clock-rate (similar to
Pentium ll's architecture.) This CPU
talks to 32MB of SDRAM (upgrad-
able to 128MB), which runs at
66MHz, yielding a peak system
memory data rate of 528MB/sec
(current PCs max out at
800MB/sec). iMac's 233MHz clock
rate may seem low, but appreciate
that architectural differences
between PowerPC and Pentium II
give PowerPC a floating-point
advantage at similar clock rates.

Comparisons are difficult to
make here, owing to the lack of a
cross-platform 3D benchmark. But
iMac's CPU probably performs
more like a 300MHz Pentium II for
floating-point operations, which
would seem to bode well for 3D
performance. That is, until you
look at the 3D accelerator it's
talking to.

The iMac uses ATI's woefully
outdated Rage He graphics
chipset, which shipped in late
1997. Not only is Rage He dated

Virtual

PC Gaming

S o you love your Mac, but
you want to play the lat-
est PC games now. Don't
despair. Virtual PC (VPC)
by Connectix could be your pass-
port into the world of PC gaming.
Essentially, VPC emulates a
Pentium MMX machine in soft-
ware running on top of the
MacOS.

Installation is easy, and either
Windows 95 or 98 comes with
the package. You can practically
get it up and running faster than
a real PC. All of the Mac's hard-
ware can be used by DOS or
Windows software running on
VPC, including the Mac's built in
audio hardware, which is seen by
VPC as a Sound Blaster. VPC also
has full Ethernet support for PC
networking.

I found out about VPC when a
Machead friend of mine lamented
over not being able to play AGE
OF EMPIRES because a Mac port
isn't yet available. We picked up a
couple copies of VPC, and within
the hour, we were locked in
pitched multiplayer battle — even
using the RISE OF ROME expan-
sion pack. Game performance
was significantly slower than with
a real Pentium, but it was good
enough to keep us playing.

Owners of high-end G3 Macs
will obviously see the best results.
You'll probably want at least
64-96MB of RAM to keep things
going smoothly. We were able to
run VPC on the iMac, but it was
slower because of iMac's paltry
32MB of RAM. Despite the VPC's
drawback of needing a boatload
of memory, there are other gam-
ing benefits — one being that VPC
fully supports any Voodoo
Graphics or Voodoo^ PCI card
installed in the Mac, even if the
MacOS can't see the card.

VPC also allows Microsoft's
DirectX technology to talk to the
Mac's hardware, and it's this
degree of compatibility and flexi-
bility that's really impressive.

There are a few tweaks you can
make to speed things up, such as
replacing the MacOS' Finder with
the VPC application. Again, don't
expect lightning-fast performance,
but VPC will certainly get you in
the game.

— Kenneth Johnson

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

GAMES

T he bloody hunt for your enemy's <,

FLAB CONTINUES. SURPASSING THE
GAME ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY
AWARDED "1996 GAME OF THE YEAR",

THIS SECOND GENERATION OF PULSE-
POUNDING 30 LAND, SEA AND AIR COMBAT ^
IS THE ULTIMATE GAMING EXPERIENCE.

New 3D engine that creates
more dynamic and realistic
graphics and high quality 3D
rendered objects.

Full support for OpenGL and
3Dix accelerator cards.

Support lor all joysticks
including force feedback.

Three perspectives...

• first person

• third person-close

• third person-far

Over 30 new maps with huge
terrain and landscapes includ-
ing jungle, desert and urban
settings. Plus 2 new maps
every month available on
the website.

Blast your opponents from
ground and airborne vehicles
including Jump Jets, Tanks,
Helicopters, Assault Vehicles,
Jeeps and PT Boats.

Advanced enemy Al keeps
you coming back for more!

16 player action over the
Internet, LAN, or 8 player/ 2
computer direct connect &
modem. Split screen 4 player
mode on one computer.

New multi-player support
offers head-to-head dogfight
mode and cooperative or
death match action for up to
16 players on LAN or internet.

[MAC

3D technology, but you're stuck
with it. No upgrade options here.

In its day, Rage lie was a decent
3D performer, capable of about
30Mpixels/sec of fill rate and a
peak triangle rate of around
250,000 triangles/sec. But current
3D accelerators have nearly
quadrupled that level of perfor-
mance. Rage lie doesn't have an
onboard triangle setup engine;
rendering work will have to be
done on the CPU. Even so, what
you most likely wind up with is a
3D pipeline that's fill-rate limited.
In other words, the Rage lie will
most likely be the bottleneck. The
graphics chip is another potential
slow spot. It sits on a 33MHz PCI
bus, whose top-end data rate is
1 33MB/sec — one-quarter the peak
data rate of AGP 2X.

The news on the 2D side is bet-
ter since Rage He and ATI's more
recent Rage Pro have the same 2D
core. Also disappointing is that
iMac ships with only 2MB of video
memory, which limits you to a 3D
resolution of 640x480x16 (double-
buffered with z-buffer). You're also
limited to 1024x768x65,535 col-
ors for your 2D graphic. You can
upgrade the video memory to
8MB, but good luck getting the
case opened. Because of iMac's
entry-level target market, its
innards are not easily accessed.
There were rumors at press time
that Apple was considering ATI's
Rage Pro accelerator to replace
the Rage He. But if Apple is serious
about 3D gaming, it would do
well to consider ATI's newest
part — the Rage 128, which looks
to be a promising part.

Another news note; ATI has
announced that it will be provid-
ing OpenGL acceleration for all G3
Macs, including the iMac.

In the mass-storage department,
the most notable change is the lack
of SCSI, a hallmark of all Macs.
Instead, iMac ships with an EIDE
4GB hard drive, and a 24x CD-ROM
drive. This latter component has a
particularly cheap feel to it similar
to those found in laptops.

As for audio, iMac has an
onboard sound chip, the details of
which are somewhat sketchy. On
its Web site, Apple states merely
that this chip supports CD-quality
audio resolution (44.1 KHz, 16-bit
stereo). A nice touch here is two
front-mounted, WalkMan-style
headphone jacks, which mute the
front-facing speakers. Audio in
these headphone jacks is clean,
and there's no audible hash.
However, the iMac's speakers are
at best anemic, and because they
lack a woofer driver, low-end
response is virtually nonexistent.
Apple has included a line-out jack
on the iMac's side to route audio
to external speakers.

For adding peripherals to iMac,
Apple went long on the Universal
Serial Bus (USB). Both the key-
board and mouse connect via
USB, and the keyboard has two
conveniently placed USB ports,
one at each end. Gone are tradi-
tional Macintosh connectivity
options such as Apple Desktop
Bus (ADB), modem and printer
ports, and LocalTalk port, which
Macs use for peer-to-peer net-
working. In some ways, this is a
good thing, since ADB could be

somewhat unstable when devices
were disconnected and recon-
nected often. The LocalTalk port
has been replaced by an onboard
10/100-Base-T Ethernet connec-
tion. which will allow for much
faster network connections.
However, because this is the first
Mac to ship with USB, a fair ques-
tion to ask is: What exactly can
you connect to this thing? At this
point, the answer seems to be
“very little."

Because iMac lacks ADB, tradi-
tional Mac game controllers can't
be connected to it, and while both
ThrustMaster, Gravis, and CH
Products have announced future
USB game controllers for iMac,
none were available at press time.
Also, Apple's external floppy drive
and Iomega's Zip drive for the
iMac will both connect via USB.
Rounding out iMac's I/O lineup is
an internal 56K modem that sup-
ports both K56Flex and the new
V.90 {Open56K) standard.

Game On

We took the iMac for a quick
spin through some games, includ-
ing MACQUAKE, WARCRAFT II, and
MYTH. In all three titles, perfor-
mance wasn't a problem. But in
MACQUAKE, the game couldn't
recognize iMac's mouse, probably
because the game was trying to
poll for the ADB mouse directly, so
mouse-looking wasn't an option.
Installing the iMac Updater 1.0
from Apple's Web site failed to
resolve the problem. Interestingly,
both WARCRAFT II and MYTH had
no mouse problems and ran fine.
iMac comes bundled with Shiny's
MDK, which ran fine as well,
although Rage He's image quality
was mediocre. For the more
valiant tweaker, emulation pack-
ages like Virtual PC and
SoftWindows allow Macs to run
Windows 95, and you can run
some Windows 95 games this
way, albeit at a somewhat slower
speed than on a PC (see sidebar).

liQitarr, Lille timr:

The iMac will serve its targeted
market — new computer users
whose primary interest is the

And Now a Word From Our Benchmark

W e put the iMac through its paces running ZDBOp's MacBench
5.0, which measures CPU, 2D graphics, hard-disk, and CD-ROM
performance. This benchmark normalizes scores to Apple's G3 300MHz
Mac. In just about all categories, iMac stacks up well, so business
apps should move along well, as will games that don't make intensive
use of 3D graphics.

MacBencti Tests

iMac

Mac G3 300MHz

Processor (Integer)

713

1,000

FPU

771

1,000

Graptiics (1024x768x16)

1,896

1,000

: Hard Disk

803

1,000

CD-ROM

923

1,000

Internet — pretty well. For casual
gamers not terribly interested in
3D performance, iMac will again
work. But for serious gamers of
any stripe, iMac is not the way to
go. There are just too many limit-
ing factors, not to mention a
dearth of upgrade options. Serious
Mac gamers should be looking to
Apple's higher end G3 Macs for
their expandability. (Read: You can
put a Voodoo^ card in them.) The
Mac gaming community continues
to plod on, and there are a decent
number of titles out there for the
Mac — provided that you don't
mind being razzed by all your PC
gaming friends who have been
playing the titles for months
(sometimes years) before you. So
if your mother-in-law is looking to
check out this whole "Internet
thing,” get her an IMac. Or if your
cousin Smedley is looking to get
into strategy games and is really
excited about playing RIVEN, get
him an iMac. But if you want to
enjoy the best that gaming has to
offer, look elsewhere,

So What the Hell
Can Macs Play?

Despite the lag between when a PC title
ships and the time Its Mac port ships,
there are a fair number of Mac games to .
be had. Here's a brief listing of relatively -
recent titles;

B Title Publi sher i

Age of Empires {early 1999) MacSoft .

Deer Hunter ...MacSoft

Diablo Blizzard

Fallout A Post Nuclear RPG MacPIay

Jad Nicklaus 4 MacSoft

UnksPro Access Software

Marathon Trilogy Boxed Set , Bungle

Master of Orion II MacSoft

Monty Python's Complete

• Waste of Time 7Si Level

My11ill:Soulblighter(esly1999) ...Bungie

Myfti;The Fallen Lords Bungie

Police Quest SWAT Sierra

Riven Cyan

StarCraft Blizzard

Take No Prisoners Red Orb

TheJoumeymanPrt^B:

• LegacyofTime RedOtb

TitanicAdventufeOutofTime Sierra

Tomb Raider II Eidos

Total Annihilation MacSoft

Unreal MacSoft

WarCraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal Blizzard
WarCraftlLTidffi of Darkness Blizzard

I The X-files Game Fox Interactive

I X-Men:

j • Ravages of theApocalypse ....MacSoft ^
. You Don't Know Jack: Vol. 3 Sierra ■

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(YST) and spruce cone architecture, the Yamaha
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with vivid, spectacular sound that invigorates games and music.

The subwoofer and satellite speakers use superior
Yamaha YST technology to produce deep, mmbling
bass that no other speakers can match. It brings
the menacing approach of a T-Rex to life with
frightening conviction.

At the heart of the compact, adjustable satellite
speakers, spruce cones deliver brilliant highs
capable of belting out screaming guitar solos.

In fact, Yamaha speakers arc the music industry reference stan-
dard; they’re used iit nearly every recording studio in the world.

In addition to the excellent sound, the YST-MS28 gives you
two stereo inputs, a headphone output Jack, magnetic shielding,
convenient controls and total compatibility with all
computers and game systems.

Your ultimate computer system is incomplete
without Yamaha speakers. And you can own the
YST-MS28 for tinder $80, or ciioose any of
Yamaha’s otlter award-winning speakers and sub-
woofers. Because as good as they sound on
paper, hetiring them is an absolute blast!

For a brochure, call (800)fl23-64H ext. 513 or visit ivww.yamaha.com. ®1998 Yamaha Corporation of America, Consumer Products Division, P.O. Box SGOO, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600

SOUNDCARDS • MULTIMEDIA SPEAKERS • C D - R E W R I T A B L E RECORDERS • HEADPHONES

IFij's mm ligepDiPect

Go to #101 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE GAMING MACHINE

Inters '99 Roadmap Revealed

I ntel can't keep a secret. Try though it may, parts of its
1999 roadmap were recently leaked to the press.
While there don't appear to be any major surprises
on the horizon, AGP. system memory, and CPUs are
all going to get speed boosts.

As for CPUs, Intel plans to ship 450MH2 and
500MHz Katmai processors next March, which will
include the Katmai New Instructions (KNI), 70 new
instructions to help accelerate the transform and
lighting portion of the 3D pipeline, A companion
chipset to Katmai, called the 820 — also code-named
Camino — ■ will support 4X AGP; AC97 Digital Link
audio; and Direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM) is
due in the second-quarter. These systems will be
ready to accept a 133MHz system memory bus archi-
tecture later in the year, yielding a peak memory
bandwidth of IGB/sec.

Intel's new 440JX chipset, due in the second quar-
ter of 1999, will support Direct RDRAM— although
it's unclear whether the chipset will support both

Direct RDRAM and today's SDRAM. Camino will also
support 4x AGP, whose peak data rate of 1 GB/sec will
help keep 3D graphics moving along.

On the graphics front, Intel is working on two new
graphics chipsets, one, code-named Portola, is due in
mid-1999; the other, due late next year, Intel will unveil
Coloma, a high-performance AGP 4x part. Intel has been
very tight-lipped about these chipsets, but stay tuned
here to the Works for details and specifications.

Although Intel would very much like to integrate
IEEE 1394 {a.k.a. FireWire) functionality to better
complete the PC's external plug-and-play capabili-
ties, it canceled plans to support FireWire in a more
extensive version of its 440BX chipset because of a
lack of demand and high cost. Officials at two Top 10
PC makers said they talked Intel out of including
IEEE 1394. It currently costs OEMs between $10 and
$20 to support the specification. An Intel official said
it will support IEEE 1394 in its products at a later
date. — Lisa DiCarlo, PC Week, and Dave Salvator

3Dfx's Next Part,

Micron Closes Rendition Deal

T his month's edition of the Works
includes some early info on
3Dfx's next-generation chipset,
as well as the news that Micron has
closed its Rendition deal.

Although 3Dfx isn't talking about it
much yet, not wanting to cloud its
fourth-quarter sales outlook, we've
heard a few tidbits about its next-
generation chipset, called Rampage.

This 2D/3D AGP chip, whose exact ETA isn't yet known,
will be 3Dfx's on/y chip. That's right, kids, new 3D-only
30fx boards will be a thing of the past when Rampage
arrives, sometime next year. This marks a pretty serious
departure from 3Dfx's traditional approach, which con-
sisted almost exclusively of 3D-only boards, which have
proven very successful for the company. But in
announcing their third-quarter results to their stock-
holders, 3Dfx unfortunately posted a net loss, although
its settlement of the Sega lawsuit did offset the losses
somewhat. The fourth quarter is looking brighter for the
company, with the arrival of Voodoo Banshee boards
from Diamond and Guillemot International, as well as
the traditional heavy holiday buying season.

Rampage represents 3Dfx's realization that the 3D-
only board market is a niche market relative to the

much larger 2D/3D graphics market,
and it's there that the company will
focus its efforts with Rampage. No per-
formance specifications are available
as of yet, but given that the current
Voodoo^/Banshee architecture isn't
especially AGP-friendly, 3Dfx may be
looking to create an architecture that
will take better advantage of AGP.
Micron Technology, the parent
company of PC maker Micron Electronics, announced
the closing of the previously announced acquisition
of Rendition, Inc. The acquisition was recently
approved by Rendition shareholders, allowing
Micron to proceed with the acquisition in a stock-
for-stock merger. The deal gives Micron an entree
into the graphics arena, and for Rendition, the deal
provides a needed infusion of cash that lets it con-
tinue work on its RRedline Multimedia Accelerator,
which will likely ship first quarter of next year. An
early 2D/3D pioneer. Rendition was beset with
schedule slips with itsV2200 accelerator that cost it
some key deals late last year. Despite its late arrival,
V2200 was a good 2D/3D performer that found
homes in boards from Jazz Multimedia, Diamond
Multimedia and Hercules. — Dave Salvator

Techwatch

ATI Rage 128 This is ATI's next-
generation 2D/3D part. Rage 128
will feature dual-rendering
pipelines and will be built using
a .25 micron process, vririchATI
hopes will allow it to run Rage
128 at 125MHz. This part can
process two pixels per clock, so
peak fill rate at that clock speed
would be 250Mplxels/sec. Rage
128 will feature full 32-bit color,
anti-aliasing, and single-pass
multitexturing.

ETA; Q4 '98

Rendition

Rredline Multimedia
Accelerator Rendition's next-
generation part will also feature
dual rendering pipelines and
support all DirectXS features.

The chip features a 128-bit
memory interface, but Rendition
breaks this wide bus down into
dual independent 64-bit wide
channels, which Rendtion claims
will achieve real-world memory
performance SO percent faster
than a 128-bit bus alone.

ETA: Q1 ‘99

AMD K6'3 Following on its K6-
2, AMD's next CPU, the K6-3, will
retain AMD's 3DNow! technolo-
gy for accelerating transforms
and lighting for 3D rendering,
K6-3's biggest improvement will
be its onboard 256KB Level 2
(L2) cache which will run at the
CPU's core clock speed.

ETA: Q4 '98

Intel Katmai This series, Intel's
next round of CPUs, has anticipat-
ed clock speeds of 4S0-500MHz.
In additional to the higher clock
speed, Katmai CPUs will also fea-
ture what Intel has clumsily
dubbed "Katmai New Instruc-
tions," a name given to avoid
calling these new instruction-set
extensions MMX2.

ETA: Q1 '99

Intel tA-64 Intel's next-next-
generation of processors will be
a substantial departure from
their traditional X86 CISC-based
architecture. This new 64-bit
CPU will use a new set of Very
Long Instruction Word (VLIW)
instructions, and use a technol-
ogy termed EPIC (Explicitly
Parallel Instruction Computing)
to execute instructions in paral-
lel. ETA: Q1 '00

li^ COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 199B

i^.computergaming.c

Gentelmen, Start Your PC's

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Go to #206 ® www.computergaming.com/lnfolink

3D Sucks

What We Need Is Games That Use 3D, Not 3D Games

O kay, now put down the
torches, pitchforks, and
battering rams. I see
that some of you may
have taken offense at
the headline on this
article. I suppose it's
understandable, since
you just dropped S500 for a set of
the latest 3D graphics wonder
accelerators. But now that I have
your attention, hear me out.

Just before I sat down to write
this. I was up to my eyeballs
inside the latest iteration of the
No-Holds-Barred Machine. We
used it for our graphics card test-
ing in 1998's massive graphics
card roundup. It's made up of a
450MHz Pentium II and some of
the hottest 3D rendering hard-
ware ever developed. But it's
terrible. Let me tell you why.

Rendering History

Let's go back in time a bit —
about 183 years. It's June 18,

1 81 5. We're just outside of Mont
St. Jean, a small town in Belgium,
not far from the French border.

Roughly 140,000 men are
arrayed opposite each other in
colorful uniforms in a scant
square mile of gently rolling hills.
It rained the night before, and
the ground is soggy. On one side
is Napoleon Bonaparte's Armydu
A/ord while on the other is a
mixed bag of British regulars and
Belgian, German, and Dutch
forces of varying quality. It's

Napoleon's last, desperate bid to
return to power.

The artillery barrage begins at
around 1 1 :30 a.m. Soon, French
forces are pressing forward to the
two fortified chateaus — farms,
really — that anchor each flank.
Smoke begins to drift off the
battlefield. By the time the battle
is over, the French will have
attacked with 1 2 heavy cavalry
charges. Men are surging all over
the battlefield, fighting desper-
ately. Thousands of horses are
swirling around, trying to break
the squares; artillery is firing
incessantly; horse artillery is gal-
loping back and forth.

Render This, Pal

Try to render such a scene and
you'll find you can't. The number
of polygons and textures that it
would take to realistically render

but the monsters are ugly, in an
unintentional way.

Mechanical games fare a bit
better, because you can render a
jet fighter with several hundred
triangles and it will look pretty
good. But it's still not photorealis-
tic. And if you tried to render the
Allied raid on the Ploesti oilfields
in World War II in its full scale,
with hundreds of bombers dis-
gorging their bomb loads while
hundreds of German fighters
defend against them, you'd still
bring any PC to a standstill.

It's not just the graphics accel-
erators, but the entire pipeline
that are to blame. CPUs aren't
fast enough, the graphics cards
aren't fast enough — and even if
they were, scene management
would be staggeringly difficult.
Technologies like Microsoft's
Fahrenheit will help with the

J J) realistically render the Battle of
Waterloo would choke a supercompuPr^

the Battle of
Waterloo would
choke a super-
computer. The
current state of
3D graphics is
such that the
game devel-
opers can do a
fairly good job
with corridor
shooters —
although I'm
getting pretty
tired of seeing
polygonal mon-
sters. Not to
pick on UNREAL,
which is a
beautifully ren-
dered game in
many respects.

management of big scenes — but
imagine the hardware require-
ments to render millions of poly-
gons with true color textures at
60fps (frames per second).

There's lots of work going on
to try to solve this problem. For
example, a number of 3D hard-
ware companies are beginning to
wonder if maybe the triangle as a
primitive has run out of gas. It's
very possible that the 3D acceler-
ator of tomorrow may spit out
graphics in ways that no accelera-
tor today uses. So be aware that
today's hot 3D card may look as
pathetic to us in a few years as
an EGA card looks today.

Having said all of that, that
doesn't mean that you should
despair and toss that 450MHz
wonder in the nearest river.

(i!\ rOMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1996

v.computcrg.iming.c

LOYD CASE

FALCON 3 is Still one of the best
flight sims ever, and the planes
in that game had all of 20 trian-
gles. While the best we can do
today is roughly approximate
reality, it's certainly a very big
step fonward.

3D: It's a

Technology, Stupid

Then there are game compa-
nies that try to capitalize on the
latest trend. This really steams
me. I read recently about one
game developer who proposed
an idea to a game-company

executive. The game was a turn-
based strategy game, as 1 recall.
The developer was asked if the
game used 3D. After a moment
of stunned silence, the developer
pointed out that it was a turn-
based strategy game. He was
told in no uncertain terms that
3D graphics is the new trend,
and he should seriously consider
making his title 3D. This meant
that the poor sap would have to
spend countless hours making 3D
graphics work that could be put
into Al, better 2D graphics, more
atmospheric sound, and better

gameplay — all for a game that
didn't really need 3D graphics in
the first place.

Last month, I talked to a num-
ber of game programmers about
how 3D art is created and brought
into games. One developer — who
will remain nameless — told me
that the reason the performance
budget for graphics was so high
was a sad and simple truth:
"Graphics sells games."

I would dearly like to see a
day when game boxes no longer
feature text that louts "Multipass
rendering with colored lighting!"

i mean, who really cares? Maybe
there should be an industry-wide
rule that says we take all tech-
nology terms out of the hands of
the people who write the market-
ing copy on the game boxes and
in the ads.

The Play's the Thing

3D graphics technology is near
and dear to my heart, as many of
you know. But i've seen too
many people argue over what 3D
accelerator is the "best," and
most of the time the discussions
get very emotional. I get a lot of
email asking me if the seemingly
infinite upgrade cycle will ever
end. The answer is, probably not,
as long as the game developers
keep ratcheting up the visual
quality, the compiexity, and the
realism of titles.

At some point, we'll be able to
run three monitors at 1280x1024
with photorealistic scenes at
30fps. When that happens,
maybe the upgrade cycle will
slow down. But that's a few
years off. Meanwhile, a lot of
great titles will be coming out —
3D or not — so enjoy what's
there. I know I will.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox
now and delve back into some
technology topic next month.
Remember, though, that all of
this is really about having an
immersive experience that's been
created by someone whose main
focus should hs to entertain us.

All the cool hardware in the
world can't make a game like
OUTPOST any better.

Tech Tips

Gettin' the Boot

[ was quite pleasantly surprised to find that the full install version of the Windows 98 CD is a bootable CD. So if you have a system that can
boot from a CD-ROM drive, then installing Windows has just gotten a lot easier.

Disk House Cleaning

If you've had OS/2 or a boot manager like System Commander installed, and you no longer need them, having the boot manager prompt
come up may annoy you. All you need to do to remove this is to restore the Windows 95/98 master boot record. Boot to the DOS prompt and
type the following:

FDISK/MBR
Then reboot.

Since FDISK is a potentially dangerous program, you may want back up your valuable data.

if.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

Drive yourself wild.

Logitech

For an ultra-realistic road experience, grab hold of the racing sj’stem,

the supreme force feedback PC nicing wheel. Lightning reactiveness. Extreme cornering.
Violent crashes. Revolutionary 1-FORCE" technt)logy, complete with high-precision steel cable
drives, lets you feel the Ibrce in every fiber of your being. Every sensation. Every vibration.
Every gyration. The WingMan Formula Force nicing system. Now you don’t have to pay a
fortune for the ultimate driving experience.

It’s what you touch."'

Go to #081 @ www.computergaming.com/lnfolink

KESMAI

Forget the box.

Forget limits. Forget small.

The future of games is online.
Massive. Random. Forever changing.
Populated by thousands.

Real people. Real battles. Real adventures.
This is GameStorm.

GAMESnmi

www.gamestorm.com

The best massively multiplayer games.
Virtually any networkable CD-ROM game.
Award-winning editorial content.
Thriving player communities.

All in one package, for one price. Unlimited play.

$9.95 monthly. First month FREE!

P games online ^

iHEAT.tlFT:

.uerbaiP'")

QUAKlt'^'b^ii.NetFivjiur.

WiiiCiaft''^ II. Pobi.ii''''’ ...

.uiy noiwoikaiilrt c ii t-;. .

www.computergaming.com/infollnk

Gai)ieStorm'“ is a trademark of and Kesmai ’’ is a registered trademark of Kesmai Corporaiion.ENGAGF games online "' is
Games On-Line, Inc. Ail rights reserved. SegaSoft'", HEAT™ and HEAT.NET" are trademarks of SegaSo/t Networks, liic.G.

trademark of GameSpot Inc. All other trademarks, registrallons, and copyrights are properties of their respective hiiicleis,

^ TWO RECIPES FOR THE ULTIMATE GAMING MAGHINE

Everybody Say Goodbye to the 66MHz Bus

We've now officially entered the era of the lOOMHz bus with the new Ultimate Game Machines. The No-Holds-Barred rig has
been using the 100MHz front-side bus for several months now, but the 350MHz Pentium II is now cheap enough to make it into
the Lean-and-Mean system. Next month, we expect to seriously upgrade the primary graphics, so stay tuned.

NO HOLDS BARRED

COMPOniElUT

PRODUCT

PRICE

WEB ADDRESS

, •

Molhetboard

ASUS P2B-L5

$350

www.asus.com

Mvsnqug * ^

CPU

Pentium IMSO

S775

www.intel.com

Memory

256MB of Corsair PC100 SDRAM

S350

N/A

Disk Controller

Built-in Ultra2 SCSI

N/A

Pfimarv Graphics

Matrox Mystique G200 t6MB

S199

www.matrox.com

Secondary Graphics

QuantumSD Obsidian X24

$599

www.quantum3d.com

3.5" Floppy Drive

Teac

S25

www.teac.com

Hard Drive

Seaqate Cheetah 18

S1,400

www.seaqate.com

I —

Backup

lomeqa Jat 2

$350

ivww.iomega.com

lyiiyinittiteli B

CD-fiOMrOVD

Plextor Ultraplex

S225

ivwwplextorcom

Monitor

Sony 500PS

$1,395

www.sonv.com

Primary Audio

Diamond Monster Sound MX200

S149

www.diamondmm.com

Speakers

LFMl

S600

www.eminent-tecb.com

Modem

3Com tmpactlQ

S200

www.3com.com

NeCworkInq

Built-In Intel 10/100 ethernet chip

N/A

r ^ — 1

I / . •• I

Keyboard

MS Natural Keyboard

$69

www.microsoft.com/hardwarB

Mouse/Pointinq Device

Loqitech Mouseman Plus

$59

www.iogitech.com

Action Game Conltolier

Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle

$79

www.micro5oft.com/hardware

Friqht Joystick

ThrustMaster F22 Pro

$129

www.thrusimaster.com

Ttirottle

ThruslMaster TQS

$149

www.thrustmaster.com

Rudder Pedals

ThrustMaster RCS

$129

www-thrustmaster.com

Driving Controls

T5W

$360

LEAN « MEAN

$7,835 )

COMPOIUEIUT

PRODUCT

PRICE

WEB ADDRESS

Motherboard

ABIT 6X6

$145

www.abit.com.tw

CPU

Pentium 11/350

$469

www.intel.com

Memory

64MB PC100 SDRAM

$133

N/A

Disk Controller

Built-In UOMA/33

N/A

Primary Graphics

Real3D Starlighter

$120

www.real3d.com

Secondary Graphics

Diamond Monster 3D II 12MB

$179

ivww.diamondmm.com

Floppy Drive

Teac

$25

www.teac.com

Hard Drive

Seaqate Medalist Pro 9.1

$304

www.seaqate.com

: ' <%

Monitor

Optiquest V75

$359

www.pioneerusa.com

www.opliquest.com

Primary Audio

Turtle Beach Monteqo

$95

www.voyetra.com

Secortdary Audio

N/A

Speakers

Boston Acoustics BA635

$99

www.bo5tonacou5tics.com

Modem

US Robotics V.90

$133

www.3com.com

Networkinq

N/A

Case

Procase

SSO

www.procaseusa.com

Power Supply

Built-in, 235W

N/A

Keyboard

MS Natural Keyboard

$69

www.microsoft.com/hardware

MouseJPoinlInq Device

Loqitech Firslmouse+

$29

www.iogitech.com

1 .%• ■ 'ife.:

Action Game Controller

ThrustMaster Rage3D

$29

www.thrusimaster.com

Fliqht Controls

CH FI 6 Combat Slick

$49

www.cJtproducts.com

^ TOTAL:

$7,397 y

We have made every effort to ensure that this information would be timely and '

accurate. However, new hardware is constantly being released, and magazine production and distribution involves an 8- to 1 0-week delay. In cases where new products were close
to release at press time, we have kept our current top choice so that we recommend only finished products we have tested. Lists compiled by Dave Salvator and Loyd Case.

v.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

© 1998 Galoway 2000 Inc. All rlgWa rosorved. Gateway and the Gateway stylized logo ate Iradomaiks, and Yojt:)Waro is a setvlco mark of Gateway 2000, Inc. The Intel Inside Logo, Intel and Pentium are rogislorod
trademaiks and Pentium II Xoon is a trademark ol the Intel Corporation. All other brands and product names are trademarks or reglsIorBO trademarks ol Ihoir respectivo companies. All prices and contiguratiors are sub|ocl
to change without notice or obligallon, Prices do not include shipping and handiing or any other applicable tases. Many Gateway products are custom-englneorod to Gale^vay specifications, wtilch may vary from retail versions
ol the software and/or nardware In functionality, performance or compatibility. 1. Gateway purchases will gualify lor the YourrjWare program by 1) linaneing through a Gateway authorized lender 2) purchasing sik monlhs ol
gatowny.nel*"; and/or 3) buying an addilional soflware bundle. Trade-in available at any lime belwoon the firsi day ol the 24tti month and the last day of the rt9lh month after delivery ol Your:)Waro product. Trade-in credit is
only available il you purchase a now Gateway product. Gateway will give you the average wholesale value on Ihe Your;)Waro produel, in good condition as determined by Gateway's sole discretion, using the then current
Orion Blue Book or anoiner, similar commercially reasonable industry standard determined by Gateway. Other terms and conditions apply. Call our loll-lroe number lor details. Loan linancmg available on approved credit
through independent lender. Payments based on 4B-monlh term and an Annual Percentage Rato as low as 14.9%. Your APR may be higher. 2% access chock loo (S2min7S15ma».); not applicable to Gateway pmchases

service a 9 reements.,and lnflallalLqnaQr|emmlSjUy_ 9 _ur Gateway ,lecliriipii,n d5te™e_s_aji^n;sjlev,sins^n^^^^^

eements. and installation agreements, IJ your Gateway technician determines an 6n-site visit is necessary, pn-site service v
and located in the continental United States, Alaska. Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Canada {excluding mice, keyboards, mor
t installation services are administered By PC Technology Services, Inc. See agreements lor specifrc terms arid limitations.

B urchaset -
'n-site and

on 6-month commilmerl. S15 loo

iprly cancellation. S14,95 lor unlimited ht

. $14.95 galeway.net pricing b:

Killer graphics. Killer acoustics. Killer speed.

A computer that understands your sensitive side.

pentium®||

xeon...|

At Gateway, we have just the computer you need to keep on top of the latest technology
and wipe out your gaming rivals. Like the GX-450XL. It’s got an Intel® Pentium® II Xeon’“
processor with 450MHz — the fastest out there — and lots of other great stuff like a 128MB
SDRAM, a 16MB graphics accelerator, and a Boston Acoustic® Digital MediaTheater™ sound
system. Plus with our Your:)Ware^^ program’ — which gives you the option to trade it in toward
the purchase of a new one after two years — you can stay up to speed with the latest
technologies. Besides, these features will also come in handy for that other part of your life —
you know, the part that occasionally uses a computer for something other than saving the
planet from alien invasions.

Every Gateway client is unique, and so Is every Gateway™ PC. These systems are just
examples of what we can build for you.

Blast Off H Hyperspace

G6-400 ■ GX-450XL

• Intel* Pentium* II Processor 400MHz with 512K Cache
•64MB SDRAM

• EV700 .28 Screen Pitch 17" Monitor (15.9" viewable)

• 16MB AGP Graphics Accelerator

• 10GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

• DVD-ROM & MPEC2 Decoder

• 3.5" Diskette Drive

• SoundBlaster* AudioPCI™ 64D

• Boston Acoustics® BA635"^ Speakers

• U.S. Robotics® 56K' Voice Winmodem

• Mid-Tower Case

• MuItiFunction Keyboard & MS® Intellimouse®

• Microsoft Windows* 98 Home Essentials™ Software

• Extreme Gaming II Software
(Content suitable for ages 1? and older.)

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• 3.5" Diskette Drive

• SoundBlaster AudioPCI 64D

• Boston Acoustics Digital MediaTheater™

3-Piece Speaker System

• U.S. Robotics 56K^ Voice Winmodem

• Tower Case

• MuItiFunction Keyboard Si MS Intellimouse

• Microsoft Windows 98 & MS Choice Software

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or $3999’

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call 1-800-846-8571

www.gateway.com/yourware

Go to ^53 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

DVD, Internet and a Gaming Station
all in one. You’re not dreaming.

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Let’s talk about your

Gateway.

C 1996 GnWway 2000 Inc All righls reserved. Gateway and the Gateway slylizad logo are Iradamarks, YQur:)Wato Is a sorvica mark, and Deslmallon and Field Mojse are registered Iradomarks of Gateway 2000. Inc.Trto
Irlal Insido Logo Intel and Ponlium are regislored trademarks, and Celeron Is a trademark o1 the Inlol Corporallon. All older brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks ol Itieir rospoclive companies.
All prices and conliguralions ore subject to cnango without notice or obligation. Prices do not include shipping and handling or any other applicable ta.es^ Mary Gateway products aro cusiom-onginoerod lo Gateway
spodlications. which may vary from retail versions of iho software and/or hardware in functionality, performance or compatibility. 1. Gateway purchases will qualify for the YourrjWaro prograrn by 1) financing through a Gateway
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Go to #254 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

REVIEW • SOUND BLASTER LIVE

Audio Environmentalist

Get Ready to Fork Out for Four Speakers

by Dave Salvator

Cl Audio has been on
i the scene now for about
I two years. During that
I time, such audio-chip
' makers as Ensoniq,
Aureal Semiconductor,
ESS, and Crystal Semi-
conductor have all intro-
duced PCI audio accelerators, with
mixed results. In addition to mov-
ing over to a new bus it could call
home, audio also expanded into a
third dimension, thanks in large
part to Aureal Semiconductor's
A3D standard. But missing from
this PCI audio love-in was any par-
ticipation from that PC audio
Goliath, Creative Labs.

Well, the waiting is over.
Creative's latest offering, the
Sound Blaster Live! (SB Live), is
here, and it has a lot to offer. SB
Live brings an awful lot together,
including its own Environmental
Audio Extensions (EAX) and
DirectSound acceleration for
games, two very solid wavetable
synthesizers, digital audio in/out,
and ample real-time effects pro-
cessing horsepower that's ideal for
dabbling musicians. So the news
about SB Live is for the most part
very good, but there are a few
gotchas to consider.

COMPUTER^

GAMING

-WORLD

APPEAL: Gamers with a musical bent
who can afford four speakers.

PROS: Very solid DirectSound accel-
erator; excellent digital connectivity;
very cool real-time effects processing;
great wavetable.

CONS: Needs four speakers to really
achieve optimal effect; doesn't support
A3D; pricey.

Price: S199

Marulaclurei: Creative Labs
Milpitas. CA
(800) 998-1000

Get Live

The SB Live arrives with
ample bundleware, and installa-
tion of the card proved to be a
breeze. Once you've installed
everything (you can pick and
choose which apps you want to
install), you'll find that your
Desktop has grown a second
"Start" menu. This second menu is
for tweaking the SB Live, and there
are actually quite a few bells and
whistles to play with. Creative
helps you out here; The interface
makes most of the tweaks fairly
comprehensible,

SB Live contains several new
goodies, although only some are
specifically aimed at gamers. The
most noticeable thing is real-time
effects processing of all audio —
Wave, MIDI, Line-In, and Audio-CD.
More than just reverb and chorus,
these effects include flanging,
echo, and pitch shifting. Each effect
can be tweaked, and you can cre-
ate audio environments in which
you can run up to four of these
effects simultaneously.

SB Live also ships with many
preconfigured environments for
already shipping games, and while
these environments are a blanket
effect for all audio played in the
game, they can add to the overall
effect. Curiously absent from all
these controls is a graphic EQ for
tonal shaping.

In some close listening tests
using headphones, SB Live's two
line outputs for speakers were very
clean, and the chip was hiss-free
with all mixer faders at full gain
(without audio playing).

For new games, Creative is
courting game developers with its
EAX technology, which is an API
extension to DirectSound 3D that
adds reverberant characteristics to
different parts of a gameworld,
With this technology, each room in
a game can sound different.
Creative's technology doesn't use
room geometry from the graphics

engine, but
rather applies predefined
approximations for size and reflec-
tivity of a room. However, these
approximations do a pretty good
job of making big rooms sound big
and small rooms sound, of all
things, small,

But, there's a catch: Creative
says that you’ll want to have a
four-channel speaker setup (two
fronts, two rears, and a subwoofer)
to get the most out of EAX, and
from my testing, using four chan-
nels is the only way to go. During
gameplay in the EAX-enhanced
version of UNREAL, you get terrific
ambient effects and 3D positional
audio, but SB Live’s 3D positional
audio in two speakers is just
underwhelming. To make a four-
channel setup enticing, Cambridge
SoundWofks now ships a four-
channel version of its PCWorks
speakers for $99. Or if you like your
current speakers, you can get a
pair of low-cost satellites to use as
your rear-channel speakers. Either
way though, you're looking at
additional cost to get the optimal
effect from SB Live.

The Hard Sell

Creative's EAX technology does
work well in four speakers, but in
wooing game developers, Creative
faces several serious challenges.
First, there aren’t that many SB
Lives out there yet, and Creative is
aiming SB Live squarely at the
retail channel. For system makers.
Creative is pushing its Sound
Blaster PC1 128, which is a decent

part, but it lacks the
horsepower of SB Live. Also, one of
Creative's primary competitors,
Aureal Semiconductor, has a year-
and-a-half lead in evangelizing its
A3D standard, which many games
have already adopted. And at press
time, boards based on Aureal's
new Vortex 2 chip were getting
pretty close to shipping, and SB
Live doesn't have support for A3D.

Aside from Creative's EAX and
Aureal's A3D, the other API is
Microsoft's DirectSound 3D, which
over time will begin to absorb
some of the current features found
in these two proprietary technolo-
gies. But until then, we'll have to
wade through the muck stirred up
by competing standards.

Final Mix-Down

In Sound Blaster Live!, you have
a solid DirectSound 3D accelerator
with the added pizzazz of EAX for
an even more immersive effect. But
to really get the full effect, you'll
need to augment your speaker
setup with a pair of rear channels.

If you're a musician with a gaming
bent, then SB Live offers quite a
few enticing features, including
digital audio in/out via SP/DIF con-
nectors on a second back panel.
But because of the current API
belching contest, SB Live won't
support Aureal's A3D standard;
tides using that API will be acceler-
ated either via DirectSound3D or
not at all.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

photo; Michae

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INTERLINK ELECTRONICS DESKSTICK • REVIEW

Nipple Ring

by Dave Salvator

■ hen laptop makers
f were trying to devel-
f op a convenient,
portable pointing
device, they came up
with several design
innovations, including the
TouchPad and the TrackPoint. This

COMPUTER^

GAMENG

-WORLD

APPEAL Gamers never properly
weaned from their laptops,

PROS: It works; nifty colored nipple
covers.

CONS; Abysmal mouse for use in
games; somewhat unwieldy for selecting
specific objects on screen.

Price: S59

ManufaciLter: Interlink Electronics, Itic.

latter design, pioneered by IBM,
used a pencil eraser-sized
"mouse-as-joystick" approach
and found favor among laptop
makers for several years —
although the newer TouchPad
design is currently more popular
on laptops, Now, Interlink
Electronics is trying to find a new
home for the TrackPoint-type
pointing device: your desktop rig.

Its new DeskStick mouse is rel-
atively comfortable to use, and
business application users accus-
tomed to this type of pointer will
feel right at home. There's just
one problem: DeskStick makes a
terrible mouse for gaming.

DeskStick installs without inci-
dent and connects via a 9-pin ser-
ial port or a PS/2-style mouse
port. Its software installed easily
and was well-behaved running on

Windows 98, and
offers basic tweaks for speed
and acceleration, DeskStick works
fine as a Desktop pointing device,
although driving the GUI with this
type of controller takes some get-
ting used to if you never had one
in a laptop. Where DeskStick
squarely falls down is when you
go to boot up your favorite
games.

In a quick jaunt through
QUAKE, DeskStick correctly emu-
lated a normal mouse, but trying
to accurately mouse-look with it
proved to be nearly impossible.

When entering a
room, if a mon-
ster attacked
from behind or
from a side,
turning around
to return fire
was awkward
and made
general move-
ment through levels much
more difficult. Next, I took it for a
spin in AGE OF EMPIRES. Here
again, it funaioned correctly but
wasn't very easy to use, primarily
because click-dragging — an
essential function for selecting
groups of units — is awkward.

If you pine for that old
TrackPoint mouse you had on
your last laptop. DeskStick is the
mouse for you. But if you want a
mouse that's good for gaming, ;
consider something else, such as
Logitech's MouseMan-i-.

by Loyd Case

T he GenX 700 looks cool,
doesn't cost much, and has
lots of features, all of which
sounds great on paper, but
when you dig underneath,
you find that it lacks some-
thing important: control.

computer' 1

w«-^RI,D I

APPEAL: Gamers on a budget looking
for an all-in-one game controller.

PROS: It's a multipurpose controller;
easy throttle conVol.

CONS; Action Is too light and too
vague; buttons have fixed key assign-
ments.

Price: $‘!9.99

Manufacturer: Quickshot Technology
(408) 263-4163

wvm.quickshot.c

REVIEW • QUICKSHOT GENX 700 CONTROLLER

The GenX 700 comes with
two Windows 9x drivers:
One supports analog
throttle and the other
supports analog hat.
You have to manually
shift the non-analog
device into "digital"
mode or the game
will get confused.

1 ran the GenX 700
through a couple of flight
sims and BAniEZONE.The throttle
actually works pretty well, but the
handle action was far too light for
my taste. Worse, the action was
vague and imprecise, and I found it
nearly impossible to get good flight
control out of it.

All in all, I suggest giving the
GenX 700 a pass — or maybe give
it to a friend who wants to make
an artistic statement on their desk-
top, rather than actually play
games. K'il.'J

Style Over Substance

The GenX 700 is a big con-
troller, but it's lightweight and sits
in your lap fairly easily. The han-
dle is comfortable — although
it's a tad too contoured for
my taste. On the left side is
a large, oblong shape that
looks vaguely like one
of the Zerglings from
STARCRAFT. It’s actu-
ally the throttle
control and turns
out to be quite
comfortable. It's
easily the best thing
about this controller.

The GenX requires a keyboard
pass-through as well as a game
controller connection, I had no
problems attaching it to a Falcon
Northwest Pentium II system,
which is good because that
means that the controller doesn't
have any issues with fast key-
board ports.

The keyboard pass-through
serves one function: to pass along
the fixed key assignments of the
"digital" buttons. The GenX 700 is
nor a programmable device. For
example, if you shift the rotational
handle into digital mode, the han-
dle issues a (comma) character.
While this is a common key assign-
ment for rudders, if you don't like a
particular keystroke being issued,
you're out of luck.

I'.computefgaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1996

“DragonFire will raise the bar for RPG/
Adventure games.” - GameCenter

“Sierra pulled out all the scops for this
beautiful game.” - PCFan

© 1 998, Sk’iTii Oii-I.iiK’, liic. ® iiiul/or ™ design
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Iklievue, WA 98007. All rights iv.servcd.

Explore the depclis of Atlantis. There lies the answer to an
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in exquisite lb-bit color

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Go to #077 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

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Free preview at www.QG5.com. Orders 1 .800.757.7707

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|^'!‘Cyt)?[Strike Is^regjsjefep tfademajNljifnulr'onics Corprration. © 1 996 SiinulFotii^^^SlOTWiml^ ^ifflS ist ^^Mclem ark'^.Mi^oll Corporation^S( Interactive logo is a trademark of 3Dfx

Multimedia

THEMtYoimCoMi’m iR Should So und.

For a hfochure, call 1800)823-6-ll4 ext- 513 or visit vvww.yamaha.com. ®1998 Yamaha Corporalior of America, Consjmer Products Division, P,0, Box 6600, Buena Park. CA 90622-6600

SOUNDCARDS • MULTIMEDIA SPEAKERS • C D - R E W R I T A B L E RECORDERS • HEADPHONES

c oMPjMA »g®p.^'y ligepDlpect.

Go to #291 @ www,computergaming.com/infolink

With exclusive Yamaha Active Servo Technology
(YST) and spruce cone architecture, the Yamaha
YST-MS28 Speaker System floods your senses
with vivid, spectacular sound that invigorates games and music.

The subwoofer and satellite speakers use superior
Yamaha YST technology to produce deep, rumbling
bass that no other speakers can match. It brings
the menacing approach of a T-Rex to life with
frightening conviction.

At the heart of the compact, adjustable satellite
speakers, spruce cones deliver brilliant highs
capable of belting out screaming guitar solos.

SYAMAHA

In fact, Yamaha speakers arc the music industry reference stan-
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In addition to the excellent sound, the YST-MS28 gives you
two stereo inputs, a headphone output jack, magnetic shielding,
convenient controls and total compatibility with all
computers and game systems.

Your ultimate computer system is incomplete
without Yamaha speakers. And you can own the
YST-MS28 for under $80, or choose any of
Yamaha’s other awani-winning speakers and sub-
woofers. Because as good as they .sound on
paper, hearing them is an absolute blast!

Saitek Cyborg 3D Pad

REVIEW • KENWOOD MULTIBEAM 40X PLUS CD-ROM DRIVE

Zen and the Art of CD-ROM

by Loyd Case

I first came across Zen Research
at this year's Computer Game
Developer's conference, back in
May. The firm was showing a
CD-ROM drive that could play
full-motion, full-screen, uncom-
pressed video from a CD with nary
a pause. It was amazing. The trick
is to have multiple laser beams —
computer' 1

gamimg]

APPEAL: Gamers tired of waiting for
the dreaded spin up.

PROS: Fast where it counts — games.
CONS: Slow on benchmarks; too
expensive; no SCSI version.

Price: SI 29

Manufacturer: Kenwood Technologies
(4D8) 863-6800

either multiple emitters or a prism-
like mechanism that splits the read
laser into multiple beams.

Needless to say, I was eager to
check out this drive. The first com-
pany to ship drives that use Zen's
technology is Kenwood, which is
trying to break into the data side of
the electronics business.

This drive is one of those break-
throughs that will confound product
reviewers everywhere. First, it really
only spins at around 1 0x speed. It
uses seven beams, which are split
by a mirror mechanism, to read
multiple tracks simultaneously. The
problem is that WinBench 98's CD-
ROM benchmarks don't do this
technology justice. According to
WinBench 98, the maximum trans-
fer rate of the drive is around
2.7MB/sec — more like an 18x drive,
and well under the 6MB/sec stat
that Kenwood touts. Access time is
right around 100ms — that's okay

performance, but
it's not great.

The overall CD-
ROM WinMark
is 1,410 — better
than 18x drives, but
still not as high
as the Pioneer
32X, which
comes in at
around 1,700.

The interesting data point is
that, even with DMA enabled, the
inner track and the outer track both
pumped out 2.7MB/5ec, which
you'd expect from a constant linear
velocity (CLV) drive.

This goes to show that WinBench
98's CD-ROM tests have some limi-
tations. So I timed the installation
of UNREAL, which loads about
330MB of stuff onto a disk, includ-
ing a fairly large number of files.
Most are sequential (as is most
data on game CDs). On the

Multibeam, UNREAL installed in
2:46. On the Pioneer — which got a
higher CD-ROM WinMark — UNREAL
took 5:47 to install. Holy moley!

Since the drive spins relatively
slowly, it never spins down. This
alone makes the Kenwood special.

The Kenwood drive goes for
around Si 29 — pretty enticing. The |
lack of spin-down and speedy game
installs make this a drive worth
considering, except, of course, for
its lack of a SCSI version.

From the makers of the award-winning X36 Joystick

Look for us in your favorite retail outlets or visit our web site at http://www.saitekusa.com

Upgrade your pad

Rudder/steering function:

Get the ultimate in style, features, and
comfort. Easy mode selector allows
instant set-up for arcade, driving,
or flying games. Rotary throttle,
rudder/steering control, full 4-axis
control, adjustable palm grips - you
get it all. Saitek's Ratio Digital Tech-
nology makes your game run faster.

Mini Joystick

8-way
directional
thumb pa^

Adjustable \
palm grips

An exceptional value.

Cyborg Programmable 3D
Digital Game Pad
For use with all PC games / Ideal for all 30 games

On back:

-2 'squeeze' buttons
-Rotary throttle
-4 triggers

photo: Michael Falcc

REVIEW • MICROSOFT NATURAL KEYBOARD ELITE

Microsoft's Unnatural Act

by Loyd Case

I hat were the folks in
I Redmond thinking?

I'm a fan of the origi-
nal Microsoft Natural
Keyboard. I write more
than ever, and my
hands used to ache after a day of

COMPUTER

GAMING

APPEAL People who want to appear
smart and hip.

PROS: It fits in a smaller apace than
did the original.

CONS; Tiny function keys and brain-
dead utility keys make this a hopeless
choice for gamers.

Price: $60

Manufacturer: Microsoft
[425] 882-8080

pounding out copy. The Natural
Keyboard relaxed the position
of my hands, and now things
have gotten much better.

So when I heard that
Microsoft was coming out with
a USB version of the Natural
Keyboard, I was keenly inter-
ested. The good news is that it
does work on USB under Windows
98, and it fits in a slightly smaller
space on your desk. That's about all
the good news.

Someone at Microsoft decided
that all those smaller keyboard
trays — the ones that wouldn't
hold the full size Natural
Keyboard — needed to be occu-
pied by the Redmond company,
too. So they made the keyboard
smaller. In the process, the func-
tion keys got smaller. Worse, the
arrow keys are now in a diamond
pattern instead of an inverted T. I
could have gotten used to that —

but they also shrank the arrow
keys. I have stubby fingers and
I'm a touch typist. So half the
time when I reach up for a func-
tion key on the Elite, I miss it
entirely. The other half of the
time, my finger sort of glances off
it. Ditto for the arrow keys.

They also rotated the Page
Down/Home cluster 90 degrees.
Instead of two rows of three keys,
there are now three rows of two
keys. Dammit, my hands have
been trained by hours of playing

3D shooters
that the Page Down
key is there. Uh-oh, it's
not. Uh-oh, I'm fragged. Did I
mention that they also made
those keys smaller?

I've heard inklings that Micro-
soft may have seen the error of its
ways and may be revamping the
keyboard again. My advice is sim-
ple: Stick with the original layout
and just add USB support. Mean-
while, you should avoid this lame
excuse for a keyboard. After test- I
ing the Elite, I immediately went 2
out a bought two more of the :s
originals. You should, too, if you |
can find one. 2317 -I

Pliin.i Tlr-t-s For
Ajjiioricrr

^his is the 125th Anniversary of Arbor Day,
the tree planters’ holiday. This year The National
Arbor Day Foundation asks you to plant Trees
for America, and provide for their care.

Trees Make a World of Difference. Thanks to
trees we enjoy shadier streets, greener city parks,
and friendlier neighborhoods. Trees also produce
oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and help keep the
atmosphere in balance.

This year, plant Trees for America. For your
free brochure, write: Trees for America, The Na-
tional Arbor Day Foundation, Nebraska City, NE

68410.

The National

Arbor Day Foundation"

www.arborday.org

Saitek R4 Force

REVIEW • LOGITECH WINCAAAN FORCE

A Ship Without a

by Dave Salvator

r orce-feedback can be a real
nuisance. I know CGlVhas
been saying what a wonder-
ful thing force-feedback is,
and this does hold true for
force-feedback technology's
potential, But potential is one
"computer^ 1

APPEAL Gamers and fiight-sim jock-
eys who can live without rudder p^als.
PROS: Very good force effects; !-Force-
compatible; can be used with l-Force
Studio force editor.

CONS: No rudder control; can't be
used with rudder pedals; cheap-feeling
view-hat.

Price; SlSCKslreet)
Mariijfaciuret: Logitech
(510) 79S-8500

thing, and having it bring some-
thing compelling to play is quite
another. Force-feedback is another
one of those technologies in which
the hardware is leading the soft-
ware, Game development lags, but
there's a crop of force-feedback
hardware at the ready. Most of the
aaion is currently in force-feedback
wheels, but Logitech is now ship-
ping its WingMan Force, a third-
generation force-feedback stick
that gets a lot right, with one big
exception; no rudder functionality.

Force-feedback devices need
bidirectional communication, and
WingMan Force connects via either
a serial port or, more impressively,
USB. When connecting via the lat-
ter, the device is auto-detected by
Windows 95/98, and after feeding
the driver CD, WingMan Force is
ready to rumble.

The WingMan ships with an
easy-to-use programming front-end.

Rudder

You've got five buttons you
can drive with your left
hand, and four more
on the stick itself.

The throttle is a
wheel design
that works fine,
though it lacks detentes
at either end. The one rough spot is
WingMan's view hat, whose eight
points aren’t well defined, and the
result can be unplanned (and
unwanted) jumping between views
at the wrong moment. But the
biggest letdown is WingMan's lack
of rudder function, and its inability
to work with analog rudder pedals.

Where WingMan really shines is
how it renders forces. Its motors
accurately reproduce forces up to
250Hz, which means that subtle
forces are more realistically ren-
dered. And because WingMan
supports Immersion's l-Force tech-
nology, you can use Immersion's

excellent
l-Force Studio force editor. Logitech
includes it on the CD, but it's a crip-
pled version. Upgrading to the full
version costs SI 8.95.

Logitech has come close with
WingMan Force. It delivers higher
resolution force effects than
Microsoft's stick, but because of
Logitech's glaring lack of rudder
functionality, Microsoft's Side-
Winder Force-Feedback Pro still has
the overall edge. If you can live
without your rudders, then
WingMan Force is a well-done stick.
But if you can't make that trade-off,
then give this one a pass.

From the makers of the award-winning X36 Joystick

Look for us in your favorite retail outlets or visit our web site at http://www.saitekusa.com

Upgrade your experience

Feel the road through tiie wheel with
the ultimate "force feedback" wheel.
Incorporates Microsoft* on board force
processor for full tactile response. And
it's game port plug and play - no
messy serial connections. Unparalleled
ergonomics for lasting driving comfort
puts you firmly in the drivers seat.

2 wheel mounted
buttons

Adjustable
resistance on
wheel

An exceptional value.

R4 Force Feedback Wheel

Fast action
stick shift or
paddle shifts

Ergonomic, stable
floor pedals

Adjustable
resistance on pedals

it's time to upgrade

photo: Michael Falcon

CREATE your squad by choosing

from 50 diffareut soldiers and
a formidable arsenal of weapons.
Missile launchers, heavy flamers
and a full psyker combat, system
are all at your disposal.

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Ind. Allwork and imagery ©1998 Games
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All otner trademarks and legisteroil Irademaiks are Hie properly of IlieIr, respective holders.

Go to #132 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

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19' Micinn 900Lx monitor (18'dlsplay)

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Sound System

nVidia Riva 128, 4HB SCRAM 3D AGP graphics

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nVidia Rrv) 128, 8M8 SGRAH 3D AGP graphics

PCI 64-voice Wavetable sound

nVidia Rfva 123. 8MB SC-RAK 3D ACP graphics
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Microsoft Power Pak

Norton AntiVirus

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THE MOST TRUSTED REVIEWS FOR 17 YEARS

F22 TOTAL AIR WAR

The title pretty much sums it up. Page 361

This Month

CGW Editors' Choice Games Are Indicated in Yellow I

GAME

RATING

PAGE

Ares Rising

* * A A A

376

Commandos

A A A A A

406

Deathtrap Dungeon

A A A A A

351

Dune 2000

A A A A A

408

Emergency: Fighters for Life

A A A A A

420

F22 Total Air War

A A A A

Fighter Ace 1.5

A A A A A

373

Gex: Enter the Gecko

A A A A A

356

Golden Tee Golf

A A A A A

404

iF/A-1 8 Hornet

A A A A A

364

Independence War

Israeli Air Force

A A A A A

370

Looney Tunes Cosmic Capers

A A A A A

425

Motocross Madness

NFL Gameday 99

A A A A A

386

Not Yet

A A A * A

425

People's General

A A A A A

418

Play This, Play That

A A A A A

425

Rainbow Six

A A A A A

342

Redline Racer

A A A A A

394

Revenge of Arcade

A A A A A

356

Spearhead

A A A A A

378

Stratosphere

A A A A A

352

Tiger Woods 99

A A A A A

398

Total Annihilation: Battle Tactics

A A A A A

420

Urban Assault

A A A A A

346

Warbirds 2.01

A A A A A

382

Warlords III: Darktord Rising

\ The Game Genres \

Our reviews are
categorized by genre.
Not every game fits
neatly into a single
genre, but here's how
we define the cate-
gories in general:

Action Games that emphasize
fast gameplay over story or
strategy.

Adventure Games that require
you to solve puzzles to move
through a story line

Classics/Puzzle ClassiG are old
standbys such as Chess and
MONOPOLY. Puzzle games empha-
size problem-solving without
requiring gamers to follow a story.
Role-Playing A subset of
adventure games, these stress
character development through
attributes. The gameworld tends
to be large; the plot less linear.
Simulations Highly realistic
games from a first-person per-
spective, including flight sims and
space simulations.

Sports A broad genre encom-
passing action sports games, such

as NBA LIVE; strategic sports
games, such as EPS FOOTBALL;
and even driving games, such as
CART PRECISION RACING.
Strategy Problem-solving and
planning are the keys here. These
games emphasize resource and
risk-management. Includes con-
flict-based sci-fi and fantasy
games as well as construction pro-
grams like SlMCITY.

Wargames A subset of strategy
games, these re-create historical
conflicts from a command per-
spective. They may be tactical,
operational, or strategic

How Do We Rate? We review only finished products, not prerelease versions. The ratings are as foilovK:

★ Ar Ar ★ ★

Outstanding The rare
game that gets it all right.
A must-play experience.

★ ★ Ar A A

Very Good Worthy of
your time and money, but
there are drawbacks.

A AAA A

Average Either an ambi-
tious design with major
flaws, or simply vanilla.

A A A A A

Weak Seriously lacking in
play value, poorly conceived,
or just another clone.

A A A A A

Abysmal The rare game
that gets it all wrong.
Pathetic. Coaster material.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

ilk

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asccR scoRycetteH RobeRCa lUiUiams bRings IieR besc-seUing
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the TTlosk op CteRnieg.

Goto^86 © www.conipirtetgamIog.cQinflntblink .. !s^

STRATEGY/WARGAMES

CGW Reviews Index These Are the Games We Have Reviewed in the Last Three Months

Game

Publisher

Month

Page

CGW Rating

Addiction Pinbaii

MicroProse

October

233

.-’c ;c A A

Army Men

3D0

September

229

A ^ ± A

Beast Wars: Transformers

Hasbro Interactive

October

233

. V ,V ■, ; -

Get Medieval

Monolith

November

282

•k t: k -k -k

Heart of Darkness

Interplay

November

269

;V /v A:

incoming

Xicat

November

264

k k k k >;

iazz Jackrabbit 2

Epic Megagames

October

233

A- /;■ >■ ;V

Monster Truck Madness 2

Microsoft

September

228

A A- k A-' *

Mortal Kombat 4

Midway

November

277

/.• ..V Xu

Nam

GT Interactive

November

280

k k -k -A

Quake II: The Reckoning

id Software

September

224

v i*; i,- J A

Rampage World Tour

Midway

Oaober

230

k k k y.

Redneck Rampage Rides Again

Interplay

October

230

u X <- ■■■

Spec Ops: Rangers Lead the Way

Ripcord

September

225

k k ■/: k

Terra: Battle for the Outland

Kaon Interactive

October

230

Unreal

GT Interactive

September

220

■/c A A *

Vangers

Interactive Magic

October

224

/.■ A -

Final Fantasy Vil

Eidos

November

286

A A A' :-r

Sanitarium

ASC Games

September

238

}\ j.'r A A

Starship Titanic

Simon and Schuster

September

236

-.V

X-Files

Fox Interactive

September

230

A- A ..V

Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge

Hoffmann and Associates

November

328

A A’ A A A

Leisure Suit Larry's Casino

Sierra

October

287

k k k k k

Mega Solitaire

Pailadium Interactive

October

290

A A- -A

Monopoly World Cup '98

Hasbro

September

266

Sorry

Hasbro

September

267

A /s' ,C A

Ultimate 3D Puzzle

GlobalStar Software

September

267

A A- A ★ k

Ultimate IQ Test

Virtual Entertainment

September

267

A- A- A A

747-400 Precision Simulator

Aerowinx/High Flight

September

247

/f A ri i\‘ -A

Comanche Gold

Novalogic

September

247

k k k k k

Descent: Freespace

Interplay

October

236

i\ A A

F-22 ADF Red Sea Operations

Infogrames/DID

September

247

k k k k k

Jetfighter: Full Burn

Mission Studios/Interplay

November

305

-i i\ A k A

Team Apache

Mindscape

September

240

>\ k A k

X-COM Interceptor

MicroProse

October

241

:•< V * -A

3D Hunting: Trophy Whitetail

Macmillan Computer Publishing

November

299

Castrol Honda Superbike World Champions

Intense Entertainment Interactive

October

250

/i 'V k

Fox Sports Golf '99

Fox Sports Interactive

November

290

■\ r:

Fox Sports Soccer '99

Fox Sports Interactive

October

264

Ac k A k k

Game, Net 8r Match

Blue Byte

September

264

*- A, A A

Microsoft Baseball 3D 1998

Microsoft

October

252

k A k k

Microsoft Golf 1998

Miaosoft

Oaober

260

\ A

Cyberstorm 2

Sierra

Odober

270

Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3

Eidos

October

280

A .V *. A-

Extreme Tactics

Piranha

September

262

.V ,v ■

Incubation: The Wilderness Missions

Blue Byte

Oaober

284

.’f A A

Industry Giant

Interactive Magic

September

261

Insurrection: Campaigns for StarCraft

Aztech New Media

October

284

k A

MAX 2

interplay

October

276

I-

MechCommander

MicropProse

Oaober

267

Medieval

Incredible Simulations

Oaober

282

Operational Art of War

TalonSoft

September

250

.’v \ V

Police Quest: SWAT 2

Sierra

November

314

Tribal Rage

TalonSoft

October

284

WarGames

MGM Interactive

November

324

! ••• t::

^.computcrg.immfi

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 199B

REVIEW • TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX

No Pot of Gold

RAINBOW SIX Is an Ambitious Might-Have-Been

by Raphael Liberatore

olding my breath, I
ordered, "Alpha, go!"
Flash grenades detonat-
ed with muffled pops,
followed by the distinct
puff-puff of subsonic
rounds fired from sup-
pressed MPSs. "Tango's
down! Tango's down!" blurted a
commando. "Hostages secure,"
said another. "Bravo, go! ” My men
and I blitzed down the hall as the
clap-clap-clap of three AKs rang
out from the small firelight erupt-
ing in the room ahead. Screams of
hostages and commandos taking
hits stung my ears, terror ringing in
every syllable. "Man down! Man
down) We need backup, now! " In
the doorway. Blue Team's leader
slumped to the ground beside two
computer'' 1

APPEAL: SpecOps
and military buffs
who enjoy detailed
planning.

PROS;

Outstanding real-
ism: excellent
graphics and
sound; fluid action;
fantastic tutorial;
great multiplayer options.

CONS; Game crashing bugs (a patch
now exists); faulty Al; clipping problems;
tedious mission planning.

DIFFICULTY: Advanced.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
166,Windovirs 95/98, 16MB RAM, 100MB
hard-drive space, 4x CD ROM, 16 bit
SVGA video, Sound Blaster 1 6-<ompatible
sound card, 28.8 modem forTCP/IP play.
3D SUPPORT; Direct 3D. nVidia RIVA,
3Dtx.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: Modem (2
players); LAN, Internet (2-4 players
each); 1 CD per player.

Price: S49.95

Publisher: Red Storm Eniertairmenl

Morrisviile. NC
(919) 460-1776

bodies. Quickly setting my weapon
to full auto, I signaled my team to
engage....

Welcome to RAINBOW SIX (R6).
Based on Tom Clancy's recent best-
seller, RAINBOW SIX is the code
name for an elite unit specializing
in counterterrorist and CQB (Close
Quarters Battle) operations. As I'm
a former SpecOps team member, a
game that emphasizes planning
and executing counterterrorist
operations holds obvious appeal
for me. Unfortunately, R6 doesn't
quite meet its mission goals, shoot-
ing itself in the foot when it should
be taking out terrorists.

The Best-Laid Plans

After some opening FMV that
details the establishing of the
RAINBOW Six unit as a response to
growing global terrorism, you can
train in several obstacle courses,
gun ranges, and kill houses mod-
eled after real elite forces' training
environments. While the game's
multiple keyboard commands will
take you a while to master, the
realism and technical accuracy of
CQB training is impressive, school-
ing you in fire and movement,
planning, and teamwork.

R6 combines planning and
action, but the game's blood and

SILENT HUNTER Taking out your adversaries quietly is essential
for success. With these guys out you can woric your way to free-
ing the hostage, represented by the white drde on the map.

guts reside in the mission-planning
phase. Once a new campaign is
selected, the game takes you to
your first Mission Briefing. There
you'll meet advisors who quickly
set the scene and tell you your
mission goals.

Next comes the Intel screen, at
which point you gather back-
ground information on suspected
terrorists and their organizations,
key biographies, news clippings,
and anything else pertinent to your
assigned mission. Together, the
Mission Briefing and Intel screens
create a world full of machinations,
adding to an already realistic gam-
ing experience.

You can choose up to eight
operatives per mission from an
international pool of elite counter-
terrorists. Operative bios detail
their crosstraining and skill levels
in assault, demolitions, electronics,
and reconnaissance as well as rat-
ings in leadership, stamina, aggres-
sion, and more. Remarkably, it
struck me that none of R6's U.S.
operatives had served with any of
the United States' elite military
units, such as SOF Delta, Navy
Seals, or Army Special Forces. For a
game so concerned with realism,
it's a notable omission.

Later, you pick each operative’s
equipment, called kits, before
assigning each man to a team. R6
allows up to four teams for deploy-
ment. Choosing equipment from
the provided arsenal is a breeze
and includes the popular MP5 or
CAR-1 5 as well as flash-bangs and
body armor — R6 even has assault
uniforms for a variety of terrain.
After a few missions, you'll learn
what equipment to take and what
to leave behind.

After you've chosen and outfit-
ted your team, it's time to plan the
actual operation. Using a complex,
3D model of your mission site, you
can plot waypoints and coordinate
your team's actions via a simple,

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD - DECEMBER 1998

/.compulerfiaming.t

TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX • REVIEW

Cleaning House

Finally, your teams
deploy at the mis-
sion insertion point.

You play as one
team leader from either a first- or
third-person perspective, with your
team shadowing your every move,
regardless of waypoints. If you're
killed or incapacitated, you can
switch alter egos. At this point, all
that planning goes out the window
and success depends more on your
shooting skills than your planning
aptitude. In fact, if you're particu-
larly good, you can complete some
missions solo. However, this is not
very realistic.

Orders that you've given direct
the actions of other teams, and you
can change their engagement mode
at any point by clicking on the Rules
of Engagement keys. The action
phase ends when all mission objec-
tives have been met or all terrorists
have been eliminated.

Combat is real and fluid, with
one well-placed shot dropping a
terrorist in his tracks in most cases.

KNOCK, KNOCK, YOU'RE DEAD Opening
doors is particularly hazardous. You'll
have to rely on your reflexes to survive or
end up like tills loser.

THIS OLD KILL HOUSE Mission intricacies are planned out
before deployment using 3D models of aisis sites.

HAVING A TIME-OUT RAINBOW SIX'S faulty Al leads to inexplica-
ble things like this barely visible R6 operative getting stuck in

Smoothly animated characters,
realistic 3D graphics, and ambient
sound work together to build a
sense of tension as opposed to the
gore-soaked mayhem of other first-
person games like QUAKE II.

Multiplayer options include LAN
or Internet play with free Mplayer
service. Setting up the multiplayer

Is a bit cumbersome, but it's worth
the effort. To command other play-
ers during Internet play, you'll need
Voxware. Co-op play is addiaive,
but deathmatch is less enjoyable.

Friendly Fire

Despite ambitious stabs at
realism and fluid gameplay, R6

Counterterrorism 101

M atch the team's specialty to mission objectives: If the mission calls for reconnais-
sance, use the operatives with the best stealth; to bug a phone, use operatives
skilled in both stealth and electronics. Also, assign one demolition expert per team
for breaching doors and disarming grenades.

Use Ding Chavez as your main alter ego. With the best skills of all operatives, he'll increase
your chances of survival and, therefore, success.

Use the Sniper mode and cover to eliminate tangos from a distance and avoid direct coii-
tiict. Keep flash-bangs to a minimum because they are weak imitations of the real thing.

Remember to rest your operatives from mission to mission since fatigue will adversely
affect their performance. In fact, preserve your men by planning a mission with two two-
man teams. Lead one while using the other as backup. You can exploit the inadequate Al to
beat most missions this way.

Apply the military acronym KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) when planning waypoints. Use
Alpha Codes for one team, while assigning Bravo Codes and Charlie Codes to other teams.
Use the Delta Codes for special actions, such as disamiing bombs or escorting prisoners.

has some serious glitches. First
and foremost, the Al is wanting —
both team members and terrorists
often act like zombies. Terrorists
continue patrolling outdoors and
stroll past dead comrades, while
others completely ignore getting
shot at or blinded by flash-bangs.
Once you get inside, however, the
enemy Al is tough and challeng-
ing. Your supposedly elite team
members aren't immune to Al
deficiencies either — at times they
seem to wantXo get killed.

I considered myself fortunate if
team members moved beside me
rather than in front of my firing
reticle. A few times, I was forced
into locating missing team mem-
bers stuck in corners or running in
circles. Who trained these guys?

Out of the box, R6 is a buggy
game that crashes frequently. Red
Storm promptly released a patch,
and I suffered only one crash after
Installing it. Additionally, clipping
problems have both operatives and
terrorists popping through wails.
Also, you cannot adjust your
mouse speed.

In spite of all this, I still find
myself coming back again and
again to play RAINBOW SIX.

While the folks at Red Storm
obviously did their homework on
counterterrorist operations (and
the technical realism shows), the
faulty Al and game-killing bugs
get in the way of what could
have been a benchmark game —
a game troubled by what it could
have been.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 19!

'M.mrm-MU

REVIEW • URBAN ASSAULT

Life During Wartime

Same Old Supertank, Different Story

by Pete Scisco

he hybrid aaion-strategy
URBAN ASSAULT is framed
against the backdrop of
"The Big Mistake." Not
Microsoft's leaving
Attorney General Janet
Reno off its Christmas-
card list, the other "Big
Mistake." You know — dead oceans,
poison air, nuclear winter, dueling
arniies bent on planetary fascism.
Not to mention Borg-like aliens
sucking the geothermal power from
the Earth's core without so much as
a "By your leave." That mistake.

Welcome
to the Wasteland

Though traveling an overly
familiar road, URBAN ASSAULT tries

computer' 1

WQRL.D I

APPEAL- Post-
apocalypse combat
gamefs looking for
yet another act in
the carnival of
carnage.

PROS: Nonstop
action without the
wait for construc-
tion; ruthless
opponent Al.

CONS: No choices among the dueling
factions; learning interface requires
patience; notliing new here.
DIFFICULTY: Advanced.

SYSTEM REQUIREIVIENTS: Pentium
133, Windows 95/98, 16MB RAM,

1 00MB hard-drive space, 4x CD-ROM
drive, SVGA video card with 1 MB of
VRAM, sound card, 28.8Kbps modem for
modem/inlemet play; supports joystick
and Directinput force feedback.

3D SUPPORT: Direct3D.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: Modem (2
players); LAN, Internet (2-4 players
each); 1 CD per player.

Price; S54.95
Publisher: Microsoll

Redmond, V/A
(800) 426-9400

to open a lane by carrying more
Armageddon angst than the X-
Files/Millennium timeline. Your role
in this bleak warscape is to defeat
all the rival factions and make the
world safe for your side (which,
incidentally, is the side that ruined
the Earth in the first place).

Microsoft ignores both that
irony and the interesting game
potential inherent in a cyborg-
enhanced Omega Man. Instead,
and true to form, Microsoft goes
gaga over the technology. In the
case of URBAN ASSAULT, the tech
toys revolve around an interface
that combines a transparent map
window, a squadron editor, a HUD,
and a lock-on targeting display all
spreading themselves over a
screen of 3D cityscapes and exurbs.
Mastering all of the on-screen
information is like learning to drive
a stick in a '72 Beetle — fun and
frustrating in turn.

All the fighting units are drones,
taking their commands from you in
the Host Station. Using the
Squadron Manager window, you
can quickly arrange different units
into fighting squads to maximize
their effectiveness — placing a few
light tanks and helicopters togeth-
er, for example, to soften the
enemy and roll in for the kill. Select
a squad and send it into a sector
for battle or control it by clicking
on the map. You can't, however,

THE HOST IS TOAST Take out the enemy Host Station and wctory
soon follows— but don't expect to get the red-carpet treatment

assign a squad to a hot-key — a
glaring oversight by Microsoft of a
very useful game convention.

Some of the game's most inter-
esting aspects are revealed in the
middle of an intense firefight. By
clicking (or using a keyboard short-
cut), you can insert yourself into
any friendly vehicle on the screen
and carry the battle to the enemy
yourself. Human control raises the
firepower and shielding of the
occupied vehicle, which can make
all the difference during battle.

The 1 5 different fighting vehicles
aren't simulation quality; they are
instead designed for action. The
game doesn't care if you fly a gun-
ship straight into the ground, as
long as an enemy doesn't put a
shell through your armor. You don't
get to try the game from the enemy
side, either. Too bad — how many
chances do you get to play the part
of a magma-sucking parasite?

Apocalyptic

Powermonger

In addition to fighting, players
must control the flow of energy
through the Host Station. Energy
units are used to create weapons.
The more sectors you control
surrounding your Host Station,
the better the energy flow. More

energy can be gathered by driving
a vehicle through the ghostly
plasma field left behind by
destroyed vehicles.

The game's 30-plus scenarios
cover the usual array of seizing
ground, discovering hidden power
and technology boosts, and dis-
arming ticking bombs. Controlling
Power Stations is critical, as it gives
your Host Station more energy
with which to fight. Tech Centers
provide improved weaponry.

The enemy Al is particularly
ruthless. Seizing control of a sector
invites constant counterattacks.
Waves of attackers will continually
plague your Host Station. Along
with accomplishing specific mis-
sion goals, your Host must sun/ive.
The levels aren't linear, so you have
some flexibility in creating a path
through the game.

Action-strategy fans are
always looking for new chal-
lenges, but the most difficult
challenge URBAN ASSAULT offers
is mastering its interface. The
game boils down to a delicate
balancing act — juggling infor-
mation, striking opportunities,
and ruthlessly destroying com-
peting factions. Come to think of
it, this game does sound awfully
familiar. LX'iVJ

,CO/V1PUTER GAMtNG WORLD « DECE/WBER 1998

M.computcrgaming.t

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DEATHTRAP DUNGEON • REVIEW

Welcome to the Dungeon

Leather G-strings and Exploding Pigs Aren't Quite Enough for Greatness

by Kenneth Johnson

O utside the lonely village
of Fang, the sinister
Dungeon awaits. Within
its labyrinthine depths
are hordes of wicked
creatures, fiendish
traps, and, for the brave
soul who ultimately
conquers it, glory. No one who has
entered has ever returned. Now it's
your turn to run this gauntlet of
death in DEATHTRAP DUNGEON,
Eidos' new addition to the third
person action/adventure genre.

Lara Croft in
a Chain Mail Skirt

DEATHTRAP DUNGEON is very
similar to TOMB RAIDER, in that you
control either a male or female
adventurer from a third-person

COMPtiTER' 1

GAMII^

^ ^ ^

APPEAL: Third-
pG5on aficionados
who crave hack-
ing, slashing, and
spellcasting.

PROS: Good con-
cept; attractive
graphics; good
control; unique
and humorous
design,

CONS: Game can be very difficult at
times; some clipping and polygon-tear-
ing problems; game-save allowed only at
designated points.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Advanced,
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
90, Windows 95, 16MB RAM, 182MB
hard-drive space, 4x CD-ROM drive,
DirectXB-compatible graphics and sound,
mouse, joysticks supported.

30 SUPPORT: DirectSD, 3DFX Glide
MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: LAN (2-8
players); 1 CD per player.

Price: $49.99

Publisher: Eidos Itiieraciive
San Francisco, CA
(415) 547-1200

www.eidoslnteractive.c

perspective. Your character's abili-
ties include jumping, running,
climbing, attacking, and casting
spells. Though focused on combat,
the game has very strong puzzle
solving elements interspersed with
deadly, insidiously disguised traps.
There's some platform jumping, but
responsive controls actually aid
instead of hinder the execution of
these daredevil leaps.

Puzzle-solving consists mostly of
finding and throwing switches to
open doors, beyond which you find
keys for even more doors. Find the
keys and survive the onslaught of
creatures and eventually you’ll find
your way to the exit. It's standard
fare, but solid design and a wild
sense of humor keep the game
from becoming humdrum.

You'll find more than a dozen
weapons scattered throughout the
levels, ranging from swords and
hammers to muskets and, my per-
sonal favorite, the all-consuming
flamethrower. In addition to
charring everything in its path, the
flamethrower looks stunningly real
and shows off the game's excel-
lent dynamic lighting and top-
notch 3D rendering. Your charac-
ter's spellcasting repertoire
includes such things as fireballs

and the shrapnel-blasting razor
spell, but the coolest spell in the
game is, undoubtedly, the War Pig.
Casting War Pig summons a snort-
ing porker with a barrel of gun-
powder strapped to its back. As
the fuse burns, the Pig rushes the
nearest creature and detonates —
it's effective and hilarious.

Levels are enormous, so being
lost is not uncommon. Luckily, you
have a piece of chalk for marking
arrows on the floor to track your
path. This is especially useful when
trying to escape the cavernous and
twisted halls of some levels. The
graphics are also really gorgeous,
with some of the coolest textures
to be found anywhere. In the mino-
taur's labyrinth, for example, you'll
happen upon
colorful frescoes
and crumbling
columns.

Unfortunately,
there are some
clipping prob-
lems, and visible
seams can fre-
quently be seen
on your charac-
ter’s joints.

Games are
saved only at

predetermined points in the levels.
This can lead to situations in which
you have to repeat a sequence
multiple times if you die before you
reach the next save point.
Fortunately the save points are at
logical locations and appear rela-
tively frequently. Also, reloading a
saved game does not take much
time, which is very good since you
tend to die quite a lot.

Die Laughing

DEATHTRAP DUNGEON's most
redeeming feature is its dark,
whimsical sense of humor. This is
apparent from the opening FMV
cut-scene, but it can really be seen
in the design of the creatures that
populate the world. The imps are
twisted Santa's elves who gibber
and caper dementedly — on one
level I encountered two of them,
balanced on a seesaw, laughing
and tossing knives. Other creatures
you'll meet include mad jesters,
snake-girls, bizarre flamethrowing
barrels with legs, and others.

I really enjoyed this game. When
[ first encountered it on the Sony
PlayStation, poor control and sub-
par graphics kept me from getting
into it. I’m happy to say that these
problems do not exist with the PC
version, which plays well. However,
some graphic glitches and the con-
sole save system will get in the
way of many computer gamers'
enjoyment.

PATHFINDER Sure the textures in the minotaur's labyrinth are
beautiful, but it's still easy to get lost Fortunately, you can
draw chalk arrows to keep track of where you've gone.

v.compulerRiiming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998^

REVIEW • STRATOSPHERE: CONQUEST OF THE SKIES

Between a Rock and a High Place

stratosphere's High-flying Combat Is Unique but Lacks Depth

by Mark Clarkson

TRATOSPHERE is a novel
new game of uncertain
genre. Part real-time
strategy game, part
thirH-ppr'ion shooter.
«;TRaTn<;pHFRE offers a
imiaiie bland of base-
biiilfling, pilr>ting,
resource gathering, and combat.

In the game, you might find
yourself careening down a narrow
canyon at top speed, barely ahead
of a pack of Hurricane-class forts.
Steering by radar, you work desper-
ately to rebuild some weapons
before you're cornered. You glance
behind you just as one of the
Hurricanes fires her forward Doom
Cannon. Since you've got no room
to dodge, a huge explosion blasts
the back of your war island apart,

COMPL/TER' 1

gamimgI

WORLD I

APPEAL: Anyone
who likes head-to-
head combat
between huge fly-
ing castles.

PROS; A truly
novel approach to
real-time, head-to-
head gaming;
customized building of fortresses.
CONS: Not much depth; strategy and
action elements are divorced from each
other; you can't design mission-specific
units until late in game.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Intermediate.
REQUIREMENTS: Pentium 133,
Windows 95, 32MB RAM, 190MB hard-
drive space, 4x CD-ROM, 2MB VRAM
video card, sound card.

30 SUPPORT: 3Dfx, Rendition
VI 000/V2x00, ATI Rage Pro, Direct 3D.
MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: Modem,
serial cable (2 players), LAN. Internet
(2-4 players); 1 CD for 4 players.

Price: S49.95
Publisher: Ripcord Games
Santa Clara. CA
(8S8) 797-5367

www.ripcordgames.c

devastating your thrusters. Losing
speed rapidly, you heave your gar-
gantuan fortress into a turn, hop-
ing to bring freshly constructed
weapons to bear before the Hurri-
cane's spikes rip into your flank.

Sound like fun?

Cloud Giants

In STRATOSPHERE, you command
a flying fortress built on huge slabs
of fortified rock floating a mile
above the ground. Resources, in
the form of rock, floatstone (which
gives your fort its lift), and crystal,
are scattered about the different
levels to various degrees. To gather
resources, simply cruise up next to

the outcropping and the rock
crumbles, raining on your fortress.
You can also steal rock blasted off
opponents' ships.

You equip your fortress with a
wide variety of structures that pro-
vide power and maneuverability as
well as weapons, defensive walls,
and shields. Your designs are con-
strained by your current technolog-
ical level (windmills before fusion
plants), the maximum size a
fortress of a given class can obtain,
and the resources that are avail-
able to you.

Who Needs a Moat
When You've Got Lasers?

Your fortress can be
packed with weapons
such as catapults, can-
nons, mines, lasers, and
rock-eating augers. All
your weapons may be
fired simultaneously,
individually, or you can
group them together in
strategic combinations.
Some weapons stab out
with laserlike beams,
others fire like guns,
while others lob their
payloads up and over in
high swooping arcs.

A fortress doesn't necessarily
need weapons to be deadly. Pack
your fortress with a mass of pow-
erful engines and a load of spikes
up front, then ram or grind an
enemy to dust against a mountain-
side without firing a shot. What-
ever course you take, you'll need to
use the game's different camera
view to aim effectively — a low
angle for the cannon, a top-down
view for the high lobs. With enemy
forts coming in from the front, left,
right, back, or all four sides, it takes
real keyboard virtuosity to keep
most of the fight in view.

Luckily, STRATOSPHERE helps you
out with an extensive automatic
targeting system. Weapons can be
instructed to automatically target
enemy forts that come within their
firing range. Moreover, they can be
set to target specific fixtures on
that fort.

You can choose from 12 single-
player missions, from escort duty to
bombing raids, or you can embark
on a 24-mission career. Only in later
missions do you have the much-
needed opportunity to design a
custom fortress for each mission.

There are eight multiplayer mis-
sions that support up to four play-
ers, only one of whom needs to
have the CD. Internet play via
TCP/IP was especially "warpy" for
me, so STRATOSPHERE might be best
played on a LAN. Unfortunately,
multiplayer mission selection isn't
terribly diverse; most missions are
various deathmatches, with a few
defensive, escort, and ground-strike
missions thrown in. There is noAl
to allow for two-player team play.

STRATOSPHERE doesn't offer
deep gameplay;The strategy com-
ponent of this pseudo-RTS game is
largely limited to fortress design.
Once you've done that, it's pretty
much a shooter, albeit a shooter
featuring giant, gun-laden chunks
of rock. Still, this fresh real-time
game is a blast. T<dl7

1 ''

BUILDI
STRATO
you cu
with a
and po

VGA WAR MACHINE
sphere's fortress builder lets
iomize your floating castle
variety of weapons, defenses,
wer sources.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

vvv.computergaming.c

F ^ }

PC Game Magazfnel^^^^r

A AilCRRIf COMPANY

01998 Sierra Or-line.lrc.™ and/or’*' designate trademarks of, or licensed to Sierra On-Une.lnc., Bellevue, WA 98007, All tights reserved.

RED BARON 3 -D returns you to the era when man and
machine first took to the skies in up-closc and personal battles of ski
and tactics. From raging dogfights higir above the clouds to dead!'
strafing runs along the war-torn countryside, you'll take to the cod
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Only skill, arrogance,

The best selling WWI aerial combat sim of all time
is now 3D accelerated and massive multiplayer.

Over 40 unicyje aircraft with
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Bullets riddleyour plane shattering wood
and canvas. Deafening anti-aircraft gunlire
thunders inyour ears and fills tlie skies
with smoke and destruction. Distant sirens
and church bells ring out through the air.
warning ofyour approach above enemy
townships. Enemy aircraft search tlie sky
for any hint of your existence.

But, this isyour time and place to become
a hero. You cannot deny your chivalrous
nature. You are the Ace tliatyour county
pins its hopes upon to defeat the darkest
of all enemies, the deadly

REVIEWS

Haven't I Seen You Before?

Familiar Faces Surface in These Action Titles

Gex; Enter the Gecko

★ ★ ★ ii

Publisher: Midway Home Entertainment
Price; S29.99
www.midway.com

T he original GEX held the dis-
tinction of being the world's
first 32-bit home video game.
This sequel, which requires 3Dfx-
compatible video acceleration,
delivers a highly detailed, free-
roaming, 360-degree gameworld,
colorful enemies, and eye-popping
special effects. Comedian Dana
Gould reprises his role as the voice
of Gex, spouting a huge repertoire
of witticisms and hip putdowns.

Once again. Gex battles his arch
nemesis, Rez, in a series of media-
related fantasy worlds, such as the

Rocket Channel, Toon TV, GilliGex
Island, and Kung-Fu Theater.

Stylistically, this game owes
much to MARIO 64 and its assorted
clones. The crucial differences,
however, are intelligence, humor,
and attitude. Although the visual
and verbal gags in GEX
can be enjoyed by gamers
of all ages, many of the
game's jokes are aimed at
a slightly older, more
sophisticated audience.

In addition to Gex's
trademark tail-whip and
razor-sharp tongue, play-
ers can use his suction
pads to climb walls and to
walk on ceilings. This abil-
ity to stick to virtually any surface
propels the game into uncharted
3D territory — in terms of freedom
of movement, puzzle challenges,
and player strategies. A player-
controlled, in-game camera lets
you choose which viewing perspec-
tive is best for any given situation.

Fast and fun, with 1 25 unique
character moves, 3,400 frames of
animation, and massive level
designs GEX: ENTER THE GECKO is a
visual knockout. If you're hungry for
3D console action on the PC, this
lizard can deliver. — Scoff A May

Revenge of Arcade
Golden Edition

★ Ail

Publisher; Microsoft
Price: S24.95
WWW, microsoft.com

F or those of us who spent far
too much of our childhood
trying to see how much
mileage we could get out
of a single quarter, the
repackaging of legendary
arcade games can't help
but elicit a smile. Still, if
nostalgia were everything,
we'd be playing WOLFEN-
STEIN3D instead of QUAKE.

So the games themselves
need to offer something
you can't always find in
today's 3D-accelerated,
memory-hogging monsters:
sense of style.

The problem is that Microsoft's
REVENGE OF ARCADE GOLDEN
EDITION offers little in the way of
either style or substance. You won't
find GALAXIA or ASTEROIDS here or
even cult hits like BURGER TIME.
What you get are games like
XEVIOUS, a sci-fl flier in which you

dodge swooping enemies but can't
shoot back. For a change of pace,
you can play MAPPY, a ho-hum
side-scroller, or you can bounce
space bugs around in MOTOS. While
1 will admit to having a bit of guilty
fun zipping around in X RACER,
these harmless games are more
likely to appeal to the Senator
Lieberman crowd than they are to
rip most of us away from G-POUCE
or SCOURGE OF ARMAGON.

The big exception is MS. PAC
MAN, which still brings me as
close to a state of Zen as I've
ever achieved in gaming. Even so,
the lure of a single true arcade
classic is no reason to recommend
lining Bill Gates' pockets when
you can find the same games (or
inspired takeoffs) via the Internet
for Uee.— Terry Coleman

COMPUTER GAMtNG WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

/.compulcrgaming.c

Wnen the Martian war machine lands on the green and pleasant land el 19th century Britain, strategy Is
all you've got. And In this revolutionary non-linear war, you'll need it. Deploy your lorces anywhere on the
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Record Producllens. The tnuscal score from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of -me War of the Worlds' e 1978 JoK Wayne Music iPubUshlnti Ltd Miaosoft « and Wndows
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REVIEW • INDEPENDENCE WAR

Hard-core Space War

Real Physics and a Solid Story Push This Space Sim to Warp Speed

by Greg Fortune

I f you're piloting a high-tech
starship, how come you have
to make wide, banking turns
to fire on a following ship?
Why is a spaceship that can
travel between star systems
equipped with unguided
missiles? And why the heck
does a spaceship come to an
immediate stop in a gravity-free
vacuum when you kill its thrust? If
these questions have nagged at
you while flying previous genera-
tions of space sims, beam aboard
INDEPENDENCE WAR.

Developed by Particle Systems,
INDEPENDENCE WAR is an updated
U.S. version of the space sim
released in Europe earlier this year
as i-WAR. New to the American
release is support for 3Dfx Voodoo
and Voodoo^ cards, as well as an
arcade mode for those gamers
more comfortable with WING
COMMANDER-style combat.

^ i" ,'WHCE'

CACHE AND ATTACH MINES TO AS
MANY CARGO PODS AS POSSIBLE.

DRAW ME A PICTURE Your mission briefing typically includes graphical walk-throughs of your
main objectives; these are available during the mission at the command console.

COMPUTER

GAMIMGI

eWorld

CONS: No multiplayer support.
DIFFICULTY; Intermediate.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium 90
(P166fDr3Dfx mode), Windows 95/98,
16MB RAM, 80MB hard-drive space, 'lx
CD-ROM.

3D SUPPORT: 3Dtx,

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT; None.

Price: $49.95
Publisher: trifogrames
San Jose, CA
(877)INFDGRAMES

Degrees of Freedom

The most striking aspect of
INDEPENDENCE WAR is its physics
modeling. While it would be
absurd to call a starship flight
model "realistic," the ship handling
here at least acknowledges the
basics of Newton's laws.

Piloting your ship is a blast.

Once you get the hang of manag-
ing the inertia and using free-
thruster mode, you'll wish every

space game had this physics
model. Take this scenario as an
example: You are being chased by
an enemy who has damaged your
weapons and is pounding away at
your rear shield — which, of course,
is by far the weakest shield on your

ship. In most space sims, it's cur-
tains for you.

Here you can jump to the engi-
neering console and direct Repair
Team Four, which was busy trying
to repair Power Grid Two, to get
your starboard Particle Beam

SLIP-SLiDIN' AWAY 'Diis is free-thruster mode. It may not
look like the ship is chasing the target, but the red visual
movement indicators show otherwise.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEAABER 1998

/.computergaininR.<

Cannon back online. You then jump
to your weapons console, place the
PBC in rapid-fire mode, and at the
same time activate free-thruster
mode. When you pull the stick
back, your ship continues its origi-
nal trajectory but rotates 1 80
degrees to face the ship behind
you. You are now flying backward
at high speed, taking hits to your
strongest shield. You've also kept
all of your momentum, and you've
got your PBC blazing away at your
enemy's navigational thrusters,
hampering his ability to pursue
you, Finally, a space sim that truly
lets you take advantage of the
capabilities of a spaceship, rather
than saddling you with something
that flies like an F-22.

Command and Control

The ship's bridge has four com-
mand stations, each of which is
critical to your success at various
points in a mission. The command
station gives you the ability to view
the rotating 3D star chart, initiate
remote control over other ships,
and review your mission briefing
and objectives. The pilot's station
supplies most of the information
about waypoints and distances.

The weapons station provides
both fixed and padlock views and
allows you to select your firing and
targeting modes. The padlock view
gives you access to both forward-
and rear-facing weapons, enabling
you to fire on multiple targets from
almost any angle. Finally, the engi-
neering station lets you prioritize
the repair of critical systems as
they become damaged in combat.

To play INDEPENDENCE WAR,
you'll want to have either a set of
rudder pedals or a joystick with a
Z-axis twist, because the game
gives you full control of the ship's
pitch, yaw, and roll axes. A good
programmable throttle will also
add to your enjoyment, but the
game is entirely playable via key-
board and joystick.

From Here to Infinity

There are two modes to
INDEPENDENCE WAR: Simulation
and Arcade, the latter added for
the U.S. market. The game's Arcade

INDEPENDENCE WAR • REVIEW

hardware acceleration for 3Dfx
Voodoo {640x480 resolution) and
Voodoo^ (800x600) cards. On these
cards, you'll see more dramatic spe-
cial effects as well as more
detailed, texture-mapped ships. If
you don't have a 3Dfx card,
though, you're still likely to be
impressed by the software engine.

The game starts with a high-
quality animated movie that runs
nearly 15 minutes. But that's the
end of the interface f!ash-and-
dazzle. While the interface you
use to select missions is intuitive
and functional, it's positively
minimalist — it's practically anti-
rendered. After all the shock-to-
the-brain interfaces that have
come out lately, it's nice to see a
company put all of Its effort into
the game itself.

Installation is extremely straight-
forward, and Infogrames has also
included plenty of documentation
with INDEPENDENCE WAR.

Spaced Out

Despite its lack of a multiplayer
mode, this is a game you should

There are two types of missions:
campaign and instant action. The
instant-action mode is called
Infinity War because that's how
long the battle will go on if you
manage to keep from getting
blown into tiny pieces. As you'd
expect, you'll face wave after wave
of enemy ships, but as an original
touch, friendly units periodically
appear to lend their efforts as
wingmen. Supply ships also hap-
pen along, enabling you to restock
your missile and ECM stores.

The campaign is extremely well
done. There are numerous mission
types, including spy missions, surgi-
cal strikes, fleet warfare, and
pitched one-on-one battles. Often
your mission orders change mid-
stream and you are taken in unex-
pected directions. You'll be asked
to make choices that dictate the
direction of the future missions. If
you decide to see what happens
down a different branch of the
campaign, you do not have to
replay the entire campaign. You

there were a multiplayer mode, but
alas that's the biggest omission in
this otherwise stellar product.

It's All About Gameplay

Tlie European l-WAR release fea-
tured a software graphics engine
with real-time lighting and
extremely fast updates. The biggest
enhancement to the U.S. version is

seriously consider picking up if you
like space sims. You've never flown
anything like it. From the branching
missions to the radical physics
model, it delivers a new space-sim
experience. Once you've experi-
enced INDEPENDENCE WAR, you
may find there's no going back to
arcade-style space sims.

mode is most similar to the stan-
dard mode of other space sims.
Here the sideslip from your forward
inertia is canceled when you turn,
and there are several other areas
in which the flight model has been
dumbed down. Your weapons are
more powerful, though you lose
some targeting options. Simulation
is the standard mode, with all
options and physics turned on.

can replay a mission to try for a
different outcome, but you'll lose
the timeline you developed the first
time you played through.

At press time. Particle Systems
announced that It would be releas-
ing a free modification utility and
script programming reference doc-
ument to allow users to create
their own missions and campaigns.
Play would also be extended if

www.compulergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998,

L'' ^

Unllniiteii External
views and IB different
Internal views nf
each aircraft.

Dynamic aircraft
damaoe medels.

^qHMfPdiddly.<MerlD9irn|hd!Sl<y^ TerrnriEeiAllled'fnrces
^|fatriycql^^nliB5inns‘lerScDntbnt areas with ever SD.ODDisenerE
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!!gffiel|e|tafsless;Ej!|inrienced'pllDts:whilB RiiiiiHT's.BiiDSSprnvidesa
V VffflltalB eepihat sjnmlstinn nf

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. ZO multiplayer missinns.

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Go to #234 @ www.comDuterqamlnq.com/infolink

F22 TOTAL AIR WAR • REVIEW

Dynamic Performer

The Last F-22 Sim You'll Ever Need

by Tom "KC" Basham

I t's the rarest of endangered
species with only a handful
of examples in captivity and
none known to be in the
wild. Like a unicorn and
almost as rare, it's been
sought for years by hunters
and treasure-seekers, who
more often return with a wild
"There I was" tale than with con-
crete evidence of its existence. The
creature in question is. of course,
the dynamic campaign, a mode of
play for a flight sim (or any game,
for that matter) that generates
each of the opponent’s moves on
the fly throughout the entire war.

Whereas the more common
scripted-mission system provides a
set of canned missions that play
out nearly the same way every
time, dynamic campaigns promise

COMPUTER

GAMIMG

^ ^

APPEAL Fans of
high-tech jets
interested in man-
aging a realistic
battle campaign.

PROS: Realistic
dynamic cam-
paign; convindng
flight modeling;
powerful flight
recorder; good player involvement in
campaign success; AWACS mode.

CONS: Flight engine features only minor
enhancements from previous title;
dynamic campaign is single-player only.
DIFFICULTY: Intermediate,
REQUIREMENTS; Pentium t33.
Windows 95/98. 32MB RAM, 70MB
hard-drive space, SVGA graphics.

3D SUPPORT: 3Dfx, DIrect3D.
MULTIPUYER SUPPORT: Modem,
direct connect, IPX, TCP/IP (2-8 players);

1 CO per player.

Price: S<t9.95
Publisher: DID/Inlogrames
San Jose, CA
(408) 289-1200

that each mission will be different
based on the circumstances of the
previous missions. The sim equiva-
lent of the unicorn, the dynamic
campaign offers not a magic horn
but the pledge of unlimited
reptayability. DID is one of the few
companies truly pursuing the
dream of the dynamic campaign,
and its latest offering — F22 TOTAL
Air War — fully embraces the con-
cept with a quite admirable effort.

Depending on whom you talk
to, F22 TOTAL AIR WAR is an add-on
pack for DlD's F22 AIR DOMINANCE
FIGHTER, a complete sequel to F22
ADF, or a totally new product. For
all practical purposes, it is an
enhanced version of F22 ADF,
implementing a dynamic campaign
engine with 10 new scenarios.

War Zone

F22 TAW’s campaign engine fea-
tures scenarios located along the
shores of the Red Sea. "Politically
correct" gamers should receive a
double helping of joy. First, the
scenarios feature underutilized (in
flight sims) countries such as
Ethiopia, Eritrea. Somalia, China,
France, Yemen, Djibouti, and Saudi
Arabia along with the United

States, Great Britain, and Russia.
Also, almost every country — even
France — finds itself both an ally
and enemy of the U.S. in various
scenarios. Everybody gets to be the
good guy at one point or another.

Each campaign has a time limit:
for example, 72 hours. During the
campaign, the computer chooses a
strategy for both sides and begins
slugging it out. Individual strate-
gies will usually have a shorter
limit, perhaps 10 hours, in which to
show results. The engine may

choose a different strategy when
that time expires, depending on
the progress of the war.

The war proceeds, generating
and executing missions for both
sides. The engine presents players
with a list of F-22 missions, letting
you join battles at will. Players can
measure the progress of the war in
the War Room. The menu options
display, among other things, the
sorties flown by both sides and the
damage inflicted. The map view
lets you view the progress of spe-
cific battles as the war unfolds.
When you decide to fly a combat
sortie, you can accept the default
flight plan and weapons loadout,
or you can use the mission editor
to configure items according to
your tastes and tactics.

DlD's original WarGen campaign
engine battled merrily along its
way with little regard to the play-
ers' personal success rate. This
drew complaints from gamers, and
DID promptly altered its course.

F22 taw's enhanced dynamic
campaign was developed with the
assistance of Col. John Warden,
one of the planners of the Desert
Storm air campaign. This system
seems to reflect the success and
failure of the individual player in

FAMILIAR FACE The sim engine in F22 TOTAL AIR WAR has some
enhancements, such as 3D cioud layers, but overall it's little
changed from F22 ADF.

WWW computerpaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

ATT"

REVIEW • F22 TOTAL AIR WAR

yKWar Hotm

■ -?TT’

- DAV

2 Tr/E 2123 REMANNG 3436 | • |

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REPORT CARD The Event Log keeps you apprised of specific
battles and actions. After you've flown a mission manually, a
flight recorder lets you view a detailed replay.

the overall scheme. When I flew
missions, the allied forces rallied
and met their objectives. When the
war progressed overnight without
my involvement, allied forces were
stymied and held in check.

Dynamic campaign generators
tend to push computers to their
limits. It's extremely frustrating to
be winning the war on the final
day of hostilities only to have the
engine crash the game. Happily,

F22 taw's campaign engine never
exhibited any fatal crashes, even
when 1 left the game running con-
tinuously for many hours.

My Father's Eyes

As in F22 ADF, you can choose
to fly an E-3 AWACS sortie rather
than an F-22 sortie. The interface is
reasonably simple: The screen dis-
plays a variable-scale map of the

war zone along with buttons to fil-
ter out various types of targets,
such as air bases, ground units,
and so on. The map, using either
standard NATO symbols or stylized
icons, shows the position of all
items within the E-3's impressive
radar reach. Other information,
particularly ground-unit informa-
tion from JSTARS aircraft, is also
data-linked in. The result is a fairly
thorough picture of the area,
depending on how close the
AWACS and JSTARS operate to the
FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle
Area). Operating deep in friendly
territory keeps the asset safer but
limits the radar coverage of small,
low-altitude targets. Moving for-
ward improves the coverage but
increases the risk to your hull.

As you watch the drama unfold,
you direct friendly forces toward
targets by clicking on
the desired aircraft
and dragging a new
waypoint to the
desired location.
Depending on the air-
craft's mission and
what objects lie at the
waypoint, the aircraft
assumes new orders.
For example, dragging
a new marker for a
Combat Air Patrol
(CAP) flight simply
moves that CAP flight
to a new position on
the map. Dragging the

MIDDLE EAST MAYHEM in F22 TAW. the
various campaigns let you fly for a num-
ber of countries. Sometimes you'll start
with an advantage, and sometimes
you'll have to come from behind.

Airborne Warning and Controi System

A lthough it carries no weapons and never dogfights
with an enemy fighter, the E-3 AWACS (basically a
Boeing 707 loaded with electronics) is possibly the
most powerful aircraft of all. Capable of staying aloft for
more than 11 hours, the AWACS uses its powerful radar to
monitor all airborne activity over a huge area. During the
Cold War, the USAF claimed that just three AWACS could
monitor the entire East/West border across all of Europe.
The plane's radar output power is reportedly high enough
to cause system failures and malfunctions in aircraft that
stray too close while the radar Is emitting. The inclusion of
an AWACS console in F22TAW gives you unprecedented
control over the tactical situation, in a realistic manner.

.AWACS

cursor to an enemy air group, how-
ever, issues an "Intercept" com-
mand against that group.

Aircraft on strike missions won't
redeploy like a CAP aircraft will.
Instead, you must drag the marker
to a new target. The aircraft then
changes course and proceeds to
strike the new target. Once
engaged in a dogfight, however,
the aircraft all but ignores player
input until the fight is resolved. You
can direct your E-3 just like any
other aircraft, choosing how close
to the front you want to operate.
You can also jump from the
AWACS screen Into any in-flight F-
22 if you want to join the action.

The Value of a Dollar

As a flight simulator, F22 TAW
will appear extremely familiar to
F22 ADF players. Overall, the flight
model is a reasonable effort,
although it seems a little overpow-
ered. It's a little difficult to slow the
aircraft if the nose is pitched down

slightly — especially during land-
ing — even with the gear down, the
speedbrake extended, and the
throttle at idle. As with F22 ADF,

F22 TAW features a thorough
avionics and weapons suite, includ-
ing highly detailed (for a flight sim)
radio communications. F22 TAW,
like its predecessor, features the
most realistic aerial refueling mod-
eling currently available on the PC.

F22 TAW is an impressive prod-
uct that's extremely stable (no
fatal crashes were encountered)
and which features single-mission
multiplayer support. If you missed
F22 ADF, you should have no
qualms about purchasing F22
TAW as a full retail product.

After complaints from F22 ADF
users on the Internet, publisher
Infogrames announced that exist-
ing F22 ADF owners would be able
to upgrade to F22 TAW at a lower
cost. For more Information on the
pricing issue, check DlD's Web site
at www.did.cotn.

.COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

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REVIEW • IF/A-18E CARRIER STRIKE FIGHTER

Half-Baked Hornet

Bugs Shoot Down This Potentially Interesting F/A- 18 Sim

by Robin G. Kim

A fter enduring stinging
criticisms of their debut
release, lF-22, the in-
house developers at
Interactive Magic felt
they needed to follow
up with a real winner.
Their formula called for
rectifying that sim's deficiencies
while porting its strengths to a
new title based on the U.S. Navy's
hot new Super Hornet. If all went
well, IF/A-18E CARRIER STRIKE
FIGHTER (CSF) was to be Interactive
Magic’s redemption in the eyes of
flight-sim fans. Alas, the best-laid
plans of developers and testers
often go astray: The sim has
shipped with a boatload of bugs.
This is not to say that CSF is com-
pletely without merit. It actually
displays potential in several key

computer' 1

GAMII\IG

APPEAL; Serious
sIm fans willing to
wade through
inevitable patches
to play a good
campaign.

PROS: Dynamic
campaign; realistic
flight model;
detailed avionics;
great frame-rate even without a 3D card.
CONS: Frequent program crashes; too
many minor bugs to list here; touchy joy-
stick response: very poor missile model-
ing; limited multiplayer support.
DIFFICULTY; Hard.

REQUIREMENTS; Pentium 166,
Windows 95. 24MB RAM, 133MB hard-
drive space, 8x CD-ROM.

3D SUPPORT: Direct3D.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: Modem,
direct connect, IPX, TCP/IP (Internet) (2-8
players); 1 CD per player.

Price: SW.gS

Publisher: Interactive Magic
Research Triangle Park, NC
(919) a61-0722

areas, most notable of which is its
dynamic campaign engine.

Pick Your Poison

The game's two campaign sce-
narios pit U.S. forces against an
invading aggressor: in one, the
Turks in the Aegean theater; in the
other, the combined armies of Iran
and Iraq in the Persian Gulf. Your
initial goal in each is to help pave
the way for a Marine amphibious
invasion. Once the troops are
ashore, the war continues until one
side has gained control of a pre-
ponderance of victory locations.

Before each flight, CSF gener-
ates a set of missions (from among
1 5 different types) for the Super
Hornets in your squadron, based
on whether the invasion has taken
place and what assets remain on
each side. Reinforcements are also
calculated, though a bug prevents
your squadron from ever receiving
the replacement aircraft it is due.
After selecting the flight you wish
to lead, you may use the mission
planner to edit the default way-
points and each plane's loadout
and fuel level (advisable, since fuel
is sometimes set dangerously low).
Once the mission is completed,
losses are tallied up and the cycle

begins again. That is, if the pro-
gram doesn't crash partway
through, as occasionally occurs,
forcing you to restart.

Apart from the campaigns, there
are some simple training flights, a
quick-mission creator, randomly
generated single missions, an
instant-action mode, and multi-
player deathmatches. Support for
cooperative single missions may be
added in a patch; in the meantime,
multiplayer fans can try WARBIRDS,
which is included on the same CD.

Graphically, CSF is similar to IF-
22, yet with several welcome
improvements. Gone are the
annoying pauses for loading ter-
rain that plagued the older sim.
Smoke trails are also improved.

And while the haze-shrouded,
satellite image-based terrain still
looks good only from higher up,
the sim boasts impressive frame-
rates (with or without a 3D card)
at resolutions from 640x480 to
1024x768. View options include a
set of fixed views, 45 degrees
apart, and basic manual-panning
and autotracking padlock views.
The game's graphics cannot be
called pretty, but they are func-
tional despite some minor glitches.
Complementing the visuals is a
suite of realistic sound effects,
including "Bitching Betty" warning
messages that were recorded from
an actual F/A-18.

Enough Rope
to Hang Yourself

CSF definitely holds its own in
the flight-model department. The
sim combines realistic performance
with an exceptionally fluid feel. Its
main drawback is a high joystick
gain that puts a premium on

.CO/VIPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 199B

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20 authentically-
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from Flight Officer to Colonel
as your skills improve!

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REVIEW • IF/A-18E CARRIER STRIKE FIGHTER

INSTRUMENT LOSS Virtual
cockpit and padlock views
do not feature a working
instrument panel, but they're
still useful for tracking ban*
dits and incoming missiles.

finesse. Hornets are known for
their pitch authority, and that
comes through here: Manhandle
the controls and you'll find yourself
in an accelerated stall or nasty spin
nearly every time. Those who have
difficulty staying that far ahead of
their aircraft can opt for a relaxed
flight model, but it's simplistic; no
middle ground is provided,

Systems modeling is rather com-
plex, with multiple radar and HUD
modes, a FUR (forward-looking
infrared) sensor, TV-guided muni-
tions, and several autopilot modes.
You can even get target informa-
tion data-linked to your scope from
the carrier's E-3 Hawkeye if it's fly-
ing. But if you ask it for bogey

sim's joystick response curve and
missile modeling were improved.
However, gamers buy games to
play them, not to contemplate how
good they could be with fixes and
changes. Out of the box, CSF fails
to measure up.

(Joint Standoff Weapons) to cluster
bombs. Weapons modeling is rea-
sonably accurate except for one
glaring exception: Missiles are
much too easy to dodge. Unless a
missile approaches its target from
in front or behind, it will miss every
time, even if the target does not
maneuver or drop countermea-
sures. The Al often leaves
SAM tracking radars off
until its search radars
indicate that you
are within their fir-
ing envelopes. At
this point they
unleash a torrent
of missiles at you,
so this glitch also
benefits your life
expectancy. Nonetheless, it
makes for some mighty strange
and equally
unsatisfying air-
to-air combat.

If you look
past the many
bugs, which may
eventually be
remedied by
patches, CSF is a
decent sim with
good depth and
a fine campaign
engine. Its
potential would,
of course, be
greater if the

information over
the radio, it will
always give a bearing of
042 in its response — another bug.
Other problem areas include some
target designation methods that
do not work as advertised and
some short-lived blips in the
ground-mapping radar mode that
make selecting a contact resemble
a game of "Whack-a-Mole."
Fortunately, cheat keys that allow
you to cycle through all nearby tar-
gets provide a usable work-around
to this glitch.

Guided Miss-iles

Your Hornet can carry many
types of ordnance, from JSOWs

GOOD OLD RAND MCNALLY The ptanning map
uses too large a scale to give detailed ter-
rain-contour information, but it is useful for
planning a route around enemy SAM concen-
trations and combat air pa&ols.

Carrier Operations

anding a multimillion-dollar jet fighter
aboard a moving aircraft carrier is
■ one of the most rigorous tests of fly-
ing skill that a pilot— real or simulated —
can face. This sweaty-palmed challenge is
perhaps the defining characteristic of a
contemporary naval fighter sim, so it is
important to legions of sim fans that it be
done well.

CSF gets it half right Radio communica-
tion with the carrier lets you clear your
approach, and the Landing Signal Officer
who talks you down to the lOOO-foot-long
deck is reasonably helpful. Unfortunately,
apart from tfie ILS needles, most of the
other aids do not work. The carrier's
"meatball" (glideslope indicator light) is

illegible even at 1024x768 resolu-
tion, and the flight-path marker on
the HUD exaggerates your angle of
descent. Though flight performance
and throttle response in a landing
configuration seem realistic, unusu-
ally high joystick sensitivity makes
it difficult to execute fine pitch cor-
rections. The ACLS (Automatic
Carrier Landing System) is not
much help since it Is highly unreliable.
Given these difficulties, it's probably for
the best that the sim lets you get away
with hard touchdowns. Note, however, that
due to a bug in the "realistic" flight-model
option, your aircraft will self-destruct a
few seconds after you catch a wire unless

you exit the mission immediately.

Besides the landings, other aspects of
carrier operations are glossed over.
Catapult launches are modeled, but no
taxiing is involved, and the jet blast deflec-
tors mentioned in the manual are not even
visible in the actual game.

.COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1 998

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REVIEW • lAF

Defending the Homeland

Take to the Skies With One of the World's Most Profident and Experienced Air Forces

by Robin G. Kim

R epeatedly put to the

test in some of the most
intense jet-versus-jet
combat of the modern
era, the Israeli Air Force
has consistently
emerged victorious —
usually by a wide mar-
gin. The Israeli Defense Force's air
arm is one of the most experienced
and highly trained air forces in the
world. lAF, the debut release by
Israeli developer Pixel Multimedia
for Jane's Combat Simulations,
traces the fighting history of the
Israeli Air Force from the 1967 Six-
Day War and the 1 973 Yom Kippur
War through a set of hypothetical
near-future conflicts.

COMPUTER

GAMIMC

^ WORLD

APPEAL Sim
players more inter-
ested in an active,
convincing envi-
ronment tlran in
highly detailed sys-
tems simulation.

PROS: Action-
packed missions;
excellent multi-
player support; great variety of aircraft to
fly; intuitive terrain graphics; very good
avionics modeling for a "survey" sim.
CONS; No dynamic campaign; shimmer-
ing terrain graphics; low-sp^ control
twitchiness; simplified flight model; no
mission recorder.

DIFFICULTY; Easy.

REQUIREMENTS: Pentium 200MMX,
32MB RAM, 251MB hard-drive space
(plus 100MB for swap file), SVGA video
card with 4M8 video memory and sup-
port for16-bit color.

3D SUPPORT; DirectBD.

MUmPLAVER SUPPORT: IPX or
TCP/IP LAN, Internet (2-6 players); 1 CD
per player.

Price: 159

Publisher: Jane's Combat Sims
San Maieo, CA
(415) 571-7171

THE DARK SIDE Though they
are nonnally your adver-
saries, the Soviet-made
MiG-29 Fulaum and MiG-23
Flogger are flyable in cus-
tom missions and certain
muitiplayer modes.

N/U* OF THE EARTH Despite some low-level muddiness (or pixe-
lation, if you don't have a 3D card), the terrain textures in lAF
give you an excellent feel for your altitude above the heavily
contoured ground.

The game features six cam-
paigns, each consisting of seven
prescripted missions. The battles
variously pit you against the
Soviet-equipped forces of Syria,
Egypt, Jordan, or Iraq (or, as in the
Six-Day War, all four at once!). For
the three historical campaigns, mis-
sions may be flown in any order. In
the three hypothetical campaigns,
set in late 1 999, you must win each
mission to advance to the next.

Juggling Cockpits

Campaign scenarios are often
quite complex, requiring you to
control up to four flights of two
aircraft each to accomplish the
mission objectives. "Control” here
consists of more than merely issu-
ing orders over the radio; in lAF
you physically take control by
transporting yourself into the cock-
pit of the flight leader's aircraft.
(Commanding your wingman is
still done the old-fashioned way,
using six basic radio directives.)

A typical mission objective
might be to suppress a target
area's air defenses with a Wild
Weasel flight, taking out any air
threats with a TARCAP (target
combat air patrol) flight, then
reduce the objective to rubble with

a bomber flight. As you can imag-
ine, hopping from plane to plane
can become hectic. Fortunately, the
Al is capable enough that you
don't have to do everything your-
self Your guidance is needed pri-
marily for tactical decisions and
complicated ground-attack proce-
dures. You can tweak the sim's dif-
ficulty, but note that the enemy Al
setting has a bug: "Expert” is actu-
ally the easiest mode, with
"Rookie" and "Normal" both
offering a much greater challenge.

Mission briefings are thorough,
detailing exactly what each of your

flights is supposed to do. Both
waypoints and weapon loads can
he customized for all aircraft under
your control. During play, you can
access the map (the same one
used for preflight planning) to
monitor the tactical situation in
realtime or to switch control
between flights. Missions start you
out either in the air or on the run-
way and can be ended as soon as
you achieve the last objective. But
you can also fly back to base and
taxi into a hangar, then watch your
wingman and surviving friendlies
do the same — a nice touch.

a COMPUTER CA/VlING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

' computergamins

sional graphics and true-fo-life
special forces action. ONE SHOT
KILLS. The ultimate goal is to save
yourself and the world from deadly
terrorists. You must successfully

you die, the game isn’t over:

THE WORLD IS.

REVIEW • lAF

in addition to the campaigns,
the game provides 1 1 excellent
interactive training flights, a simple
mission builder, and 7 scramble
missions. The latter are canned
missions that put you in the cock-
pit with no briefing; your objectives
are radioed to you on the fly.

Eye of the Beholder

The terrain graphics are perhaps
the most controversial aspect of
lAF.They resemble grainy videotape
footage of actual landscapes, but
with a shimmering effect {not
apparent in the screenshots) that
you will likely find either annoying

contours has never been so easy in
a sim — an important consideration
when you're hugging valley floors
to avoid enemy radar.

Frame-rate at 640x480 (the only
supported resolution) with a good
3D card will be acceptable for most
PCs, albeit with substantially coarser
graphics on slower CPUs. Running
the sim without 3D acceleration
should yield adequate performance
with detail settings minimized. But
on my PC it also resulted in fre-
quent long pauses (probably due to
a compatibility problem), which ren-
dered the game unplayable until I
reactivated my 3D card.

or inconsequential. Beyond the
looks, the graphics engine does an
exceptional job of portraying the
region's landmarks and complex
topology without a hint of blocki-
ness, rendering it all out to an
impressive distance at the maxi-
mum detail level. Best of all, read-
ing the terrain is completely intu-
itive. Low-level flying over such fine

lAF's cockpit view system
includes nine fixed views and a
manual panning mode, but large
gaps in coverage and slow panning
speeds will force you to rely on the
sim's autotracking padlock view in
combat. This versatile view can lock
onto air and ground targets, your
wingman, incoming missiles, other
nearby threats, or the centered
object in any of the other views.

Technological

Progression

Over the 32-year-period covered
by lAF, you will progress from the
French-made Mirage 111. through
the venerable F-4E Phantom II, to
more modern aircraft such as the F-
15 Eagle, the F-16D Fighting Falcon
(two-seat variant), the F-4 2000 (an
upgraded Phantom), and Israel's
own Kfir fighter-bomber and Lavi
advanced technology demonstrator.
A generic set of avionics features,

PADLOCKED lAPs padlock
view takes some getting
used to. The arrow ^ows

the direction and angle from
your HUD to the target

key commands, and symbology is
used for ail the planes, with each
type having its own specific combi-
nation of capabilities. Older planes
have basic radar sets and weapon
selections, for instance, while the
newest are equipped with far-
seeing radars, a track-while-scan
mode, and helmet-mounted sights,
and have the ability to carry more
advanced weaponry. The result may
not be detailed enough to satisfy
hard-core realism fanatics, but it is
impressively close from a functional
perspective — especially considering
how many aircraft are modeled —
while striking a balance between
complexity and playability.

The sim offers a good variety of
ordnance types, including laser-
guided bombs (with forward-
looking infrared pods to designate
targets), TV-guided bombs and
missiles, Sidewinders (both older
rear-aspect and contemporary all-
aspect versions), semiactive radar-
homing Sparrows, AMRAAMs, and
Israel's Python 4 (arguably the
deadliest dogfight missile in the
world). The weapons modeling is
good, but the lack of ballistic drop
for cannon shells makes gun kills
easier than they should be.

The flight model in lAF is some-
what simplified. Low-speed
maneuverability of aircraft has
been exaggerated for playability,
but performance is otherwise fairly
accurate and varies greatly
between aircraft types. Though
some realistic effects, such as
accelerated (high-speed) stalls and
rudder-induced roll, have been
omitted, spins are still possible if
you get careless. Control feel is
normally nicely fluid; however, at
low speeds it becomes extremely

sensitive (the opposite occurs in
real life), making landings and
takeoffs unsatisfying,

Sim Synergy

lAF is clearly not the most accu-
rate flight sim around: it tends
toward "good enough for most’'
realism and manageable complexi-
ty. Its true strengths, which draw
you back mission after mission,
arise from its blend of engrossing
mission designs, novel plane selec-
tions, and originality of concept — a
remarkable combination, [i'i'.'J

Maximum

Multiplayer

I n addition to the usual
deathmatches, lAF lets you
play all six of its stand-
alone campaigns in coopera-
tive multiplayer mode. There
are also six multiplayer-only
single missions included, and
you can generate custom
team-based missions using the
game's mission creator. Up to
six players can join In on a
LAN or over the Internet;
unfortunately, modem and
direct connect links are not
supported. Internet gamers
can meet up for multiplayer
sessions at Jane's combat.net
Web site; point your browser
to www.janescombat.net.

Muitipie chat options are
avaiiabie for choosing the
recipients of your text mes-
sages. If you're too busy to
type, you can send canned
messages via function keys.

For more realistic matchups
in deathmatches and custom
multiplayer missions, the sim
expands the list of flyable air-
craft types to inciude the MiG-
23 Fiogger and MIG-29
Fulcrum. Each craft is fully
supported, with its own cock-
pit graphics, flight model, and
Soviet-made armament. Since
the two MiGs are also avail-
able in single-player custom
missions, Egyptian/Syrian/
Jordanian/Iraqi players can
practice flying them offline.

, COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

.'.comfjiitcrgaming.com

FIGHTER ACE 1.5 • REVIEW

Flies Great, Less Thrilling

Despite Numerous Improvements, FIGHTER ACE Remains a Light Experience

by John Nolan

T he first version of
Microsoft’s FIGHTER
ACE, aWWII multi-
player air-combat
game, gave the impres-
sion that it was rushed
out to provide content
on the company's
Internet Gaming Zone. The basic
flight model was decent, and the
graphics were quite good. How-
ever, the gameplay had distinct
problems with airfields too close
together, no play features except
dogfighting, and a view system
that was poorly designed. The
price was also high at S20 a
month. To improve the situa-
tion. the Zone recently
launched FIGHTER ACE 1.5.

Size Matters

The small game map in the
original FIGHTER ACE had only one

computer '' 1

GAMIMG

APPEAL: Online pilots favoring fast,
easy action in a simple setting.

PROS: Low price: unlimited play; simple
interface; fast-paced action.

CONS: Limited gameplay options; small
plane set; clumsy view system; no 3D
hardware support.

DIFFICULTY; Easy.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS; Pentium
75; Windows 95; 1 6MB RAM; 9.5MB
hard-drive space; VGA graphics; DirectX
5.0; 28,8Kbps Internet access; Internet
Explorer 3.02 or better, AOL 3.0 or high-
er, or Netscape 4.x; mouse or compatible
poiirting device.

3D SUPPORT: None.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT; Internet
(Nonh AmeriQ only), modem.

Price: SlQ/monih or S1.95/day
Publisher: Microsoli
Redmond. WA
(800) 426-9400

wvnv.zone.c

airfield per country, arranged in a
small square layout. Fields were
so close together that you could
not return to your base before
your last victim was back hosing
your six. The easy fix was to move
fields farther apart; now each
country has four fighter strips,
with about three times as much
space separating them from
enemy fields. The mostly flat ter-
rain has been modified with some
rolling hills, making the low-level
dogfights more challenging. This
is definitely progress, although
gameplay remains a fairly fast-
paced, continuous furball; spread-
ing the fields out even further
wouldn't hurt. Some arenas still

LITTLE FRIEND An FW-190 escorts computer-controlled bombers.
The Ju-SS's continually call for escorts on their missions, but
there's no real reason to help them — their raids don't really
affect gameplay.

use the old, small map, however,
so someone must have liked it
Dogfighting against human
opponents is the main attraction
of this genre. Still, a little variety
never hurts, especially if there are
few people online and potential
victims are scarce. The new ver-
sion adds "combat boxes" of
computer/host-flown bombers
cruising around and bombing air-
fields. Players can attack these
flights, but the bombers never
close on a field completely, so
they're no real threat. Their gun-
ners are devastatingly accurate,
and few attackers live through
the encounter.

You can strafe new
tank parks, factories,
and trains for points.
You can also knock
out the unbelievably
deadly antiaircraft
batteries. Unfortu-
nately these batteries
regenerate in about a
minute so it's rarely
worth the risk. The
important thing is
that these features
now exist, a necessary
first step in expanding
the gameplay options.

Seeing More Clearly

FIGHTER ACE'S original clumsy
and complex viewing has been
improved somewhat. The old
views remain — a veritable key-
board ballet of disorientation, it's
hard to understand views that
don’t include any parts of the air-
craft — like a side view without a
visible wing. How do you judge
relative position?

The beginnings of an intuitive
numeric keypad system have been
implemented. Using one hand, just
hit the keypad's appropriate direc-
tion key; for example, the 4 key
looks left. Holding down the Ctrl

key while pressing a number will
generate a 45-degree up view in
that direction. It's not as simple or
as complete as the classic, one-
handed AIR WARRIOR system, but
it's a start. With a programmable
joystick, though, you can finally
achieve an easily used, if barely
adequate, view set.

This release still lacks most of
the common gameplay features of
WARBIRDS or AIR WARRIOR. The
small 16-plane inventory is made
up purely of fighters, with no abil-
ity to carry bombs and knock out
the ack-ack from a safe altitude.
There's no way for a country to
capture fields or win, and despite
the bombers and tank parks, dog-
fighting is still the only game in
town. While the realistic physics
flight model is actually well done,
with particularly good G-effects,
the arenas that use it are almost
always empty. The overly simplistic
arcade flight model gets most of
the play.

The best part of the revision is
the price cut. FIGHTER ACE now
costs just $1 0/month for unlimited
play. This is the same price as the
more fully featured AIR WARRIOR,
but at least it provides affordable
fun for more casual pilots.

wwtv.compulergammg.com

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REVIEW • ARES RISING

Privateer Too

The Original PRIVATEER Team Is Back With a Spiritual Sequel

by Thierry Nguyen

he words final frontier
bring to mind a vast area
to be explored, full of
hardships, surprises, and
rewards. Origin's
PRIVATEER was perhaps
the last space sim to give
you the feeling of explor-
ing space, rather than just defend-
ing it. A number of members of the
PRIVATEER team have been holed
up at Imagine Studios, working to
create a spiritual successor to that
classic title. ARES RISING, their first
effort, proves to be a game with
high ambitions, marred by a few
problems and an engine that has
fallen behind the times,

The Name's Marlowe

You play Mike Marlowe, a hot-
shot rogue who scored with the
princess and is now on the run

computer'’ 1

GAMIMG

APPEAL fans of
PRIVATEER, aspiring
space mercenaries.

PROS: Free-form,
branching single-
player campaign;
large equipment
variety; competent
enemy Al.

CONS: Woefully outdated graphics;
forced pacing in singleplayer campaign;
feel of freedom isn't quite there.
DIFFICULTY: Intermediate
REQUIREMENTS: Pentium 133,
Windows 95. 16MB RAM, 150MB hard-
drive space, 2x CD-ROM, DireclXS-
compatibie sound and video cards.

3D SUPPORT: DirecGD.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: TCP/IR LAN,
modem, or serial connection (2-8 play-
ers); 1 CD per player.

Price: 129.9S
Publisher: Imagine Studios
Austin, TX
(877)372-7747

from the law (a Han Solo type,
essentially). You're contaaed by a
woman who promises you steady
work and a cozy little base hidden
on an asteroid field in the middle
of nowhere — and that's where it
all starts.

After going through the stan-
dard easy training missions, you
drop into the main plot line (writ-
ten by Gilbert Austin of STRIKE
COMMANDER and PRIVATEER fame),
which concerns the discovery of a
mighty alien device known as the
Micomicon. A power struggle

develops among the IPEC, the
Scavage, the Mayjr, and various
other factions, and you're there to
support the IPEC... at first, at least,
The single-player campaign is of
the branching variety: You'll create
different alliances with the many
factions depending on what deci-
sions you make when accepting
missions, how you treat other craft
in space, and what success you
achieve. This adds a nice bit of
replayability, because the differing
alliances lead you to one of five
game endings.

Managing Merc Money

You'll spend about as much time
at home base as you will flying
missions. ARES RISING is loaded
with information. Between mis-
sions. you get a steady stream of
AP -style news clippings about the
happenings within the gameworld.
While you don't have to sit down
and read these, taking the time to
do so greatly enhances the atmos-
phere. In addition, you have your
own email inbox, and when you
finish a plot mission you always
have a personal log where
Marlowe muses about his progress.

The background is nice, but if
ARES RISING has a claim to fame,
it's the gigantic list of equipment
and the play-balancing that went
into that equipment No other
space sim in recent memory has
such a diverse arsenal. Cannons fall
into three categories, with beam
weapons being best used against
shields, ballistic weapons specializ-
ing in armor, and particle weapons
suitable for taking out both.

Missiles come in varying flavors of
locking (from antiradar to rear-
aspect heat-seeking), supply (single-
fire or multiple pods), and even
armament (EMP warhead or mine-
laying). You can even lay mines or
automatic turrets that will guard a
certain stretch of space.

In addition, you'll find cloaks
that mask you from anything and
everything (at a high cost in energy
and cargo space), jamming mecha-
nisms that block out all communi-
cations, ECM systems of varying
quality, and flight-control systems
that affect how well your ship
interprets your joystick input.
There's also passive and active
radar (the passive has a longer
range and fewer emissions, but
doesn't give as much information).

Missions for Money

While the gameplay is fairly
reminiscent of the Mercenaries

COMPUTER CAWING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

'canipu|prj?.irning.<

ARES RISING • REVIEW

D«aKr.£r«vAa«« v

RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
luster graphics, the play I

BOOTY CALL One indicator
of a well-done mission Is
when you score salvage off
of the ships you defeated.

PUFF OF SMOKE The dated graphics make for unspectacular
explosions, even with 3D acceleration.

Guild missions in PRIVATEER, there's
no trading here. You simply punch
up your email to see what missions
are available, choose one, outfit
your ship, and then launch away.
The mission types include patrol
surveys, contract hits, escorts, and
plot missions.

The standard missions have a
sameness to them: You'll circle
around some waypoints and shoot
down whomever you're assigned
to shoot down. Each mission ends
when you find the right jump-gate
and use it to return to your aster-
oid base. Then again, that was the
way it was for most of the mis-
sions in PRIVATEER.

The flight model can be toggled
between the traditional, arcadelike
mode found in the V\/ING
COMMANDER and STAR WARS sims,
and the slightly more realistic iner-
tial mode. Depending on how big
your ship is, the inertial mode
makes it harder for you to slow
down and turn. It falls somewhere
between WING COMMANDER and
INDEPENDENCE WAR In complexity.
There are six flyable ships, divided
among fighters, scouts, and
bombers. They differ in terms of
carrying capacity and genera!
maneuverability.

During the course of the game,
you can hire wingmen to help out
during your missions. While their
quality doesn't approach the ele-
gance of the FREESPACE wingmen,
these pilots are good enough for
the job {if you hire the right ones).
One nice touch: You can dictate

were free to put the plot on hold,
doing whatever you wanted until
you decided to initiate a plot mis-
sion. But in this email system. I
found that a plot mission was the
on/y choice left after 1 had finished
two or three random missions. This
is just a bit too much structure in
what would've been a fine, free-
form game.

One additional gripe is that
you're shown how much room the
equipment you're buying will take
up, but until you buy a ship, you
don't know how much it can cany,
if I'd known the ship’s specs before-
hand, I wouldn't have
made the mistake so
often of buying nice
equipment only to find
out that my new ship
didn't have enough
cargo space.

A Rising Star Is Falling

Some real annoyances detract
significantly from the game, how-
ever. For one thing, the engine is
quite dated compared to modern
standards. Even with DirectSD, the
ships look as if they've traveled
from years past, with decent tex-
tures piaced on top of hokey mod-
els. Firing effects for both cannons
and missiles look simple and
arcadelike, the shield effect is a bit
simplistic, and the capital ships
aren't very impressive.

ARES RISING also fails to give you
much of a feel of personal freedom.
In PRIVATEER and other games, you
roamed the galaxy at will, just
going places and doing different
things. While ARES RISING has a
decent amount of mission variety,
you always proceed from and
return to your asteroid base, which
doesn't have the same "travel the
vast galaxy" feel.

What's more, you can't really set
your own pace as you progress
through the plot. In PRIVATEER, you

Alone Out There

in multiplayer mode,
you'll have a persistent
pilot who has to gain
money and goods to
build his ship. In addition
to team and deathmatch
modes, you can fly
against Al opponents in randomly
generated missions. Alas, I couldn't
find an opponent with whom to
test the Internet multiplayer action.
Without support from any of the
gaming services, you have to go to
Imagine's Web site to find anyone
else willing to play.

Several things ultimately make
this game above average; the diver-
sity of equipment, the single-player
branching plot line, and the gen-
erally challenging Al. While the
gameplay rivals that of PRIVATEER,
the engine is such that the game
would have made a much stronger
impression two years ago. Now that
the space-sim arena has games like
INDEPENDENCE WAR and FREESPACE,
ARES Rising's dated graphics really
hurt it. Hopefully, Imagine will build
upon the good intentions of this
first effort and make a more solid
overall game next time. For now, if
you're more interested in personali-
ty than a pretty face, you'll probably
find ARES Rising worth the S30
price tag.

general flying style to your wing-
men (passive or active, beams first,
and so on), and they are intelligent
enough to use different weapons at
appropriate times.

The enemy Al is also generally
competent. At times they will use
good tactiG, such as using passive
radar at the right time or using the
asteroids for cover. At other times,
though, they simply can't shake you
off, no matter what craft each of
you is piloting.

'computergaming

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 199B M

REVIEW • SPEARHEAD

Blunt Instrument

Interactive Magic Forgets Who Its Audience Is

THOSE ARE SOME SHOCKS The ride of an Abrams in SPEARHEAD
is closer to that of a Lincoln Town Car than an AFV.

by Jim Cobb

I n an attempt to answer criti-
cisms leveled at the playabil-
ity and limited graphics of
iM1A2 ABRAMS, Interactive
Magic has made its latest
tank affair, SPEARHEAD, quite
glitzy and has narrowed the
game's focus to a smaller
command scale. What could have
been a decent light arcade game,
however, suffers from being forced
into a simulation format.

World Policeman

The premise of SPEARHEAD is
that the United States intervenes
as Libya invades Tunisia. Engage-
ments come in three flavors: seven
tutorials (which are actually pretty
good). 10 single engagements, and
any number of randomly gener-
ated. yet nondynamic, campaigns.
Most mission objectives include

APPEAL Neither
tank enthusiasts
nor arcade fans
will (ike it
PROS: Nice
enough graphics;
sexier than iM1A2
ABRAMS.

CONS: Unrealistic;
simplistic victory conditions; dumsy
interface.

DIFFICULTY: Easy.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS; P-133,
Windows 95, 16MB RAM, 9.5MB hard-
drive space; 4MB graphic card, 2x CD-
ROM; supports DirectX<ompatible sound
cards and MS force-feedbad: joysticks.

3D SUPPORT: D3D, 3Dfx, and Power VR.
MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: TCP/IP LAN
(2-1 2 players), Internet (2-S players),
modem; all 1 player per CO.

Price: S39.95

Publisher: Interactive Magic
Research Triangle Park, NC
(800) 789-1534

destroying all enemies, reaching a
waypoint, and escorting supply
convoys. Fair enough, except that
you can win by achieving victory
objectives regardless of your losses.
Obviously, the U.S. forces in SPEAR-
HEAD don't have to worry about
public backlash due to high losses,
as was the case in Desert Storm.

You command a platoon of
three tanks plus assets, and though
infantry is included in the force
mix, it is generally scarce when you
need it most. Worse, it has
unknown antitank capabilities.
Artillery, on the other hand, seems
to always show up for battle, and
it's always maddeningly accurate.

See Scenic Tunisia?

Given the number of tank games
set in the desert, it's hard to get
that excited about looking at sand
again. However, this Tunisian land-
scape has a nice haze in the dis-
tance, and the dunes are easy to
use for hull-down positions. The
nine U.S. vehicles and five U.S, air-
craft are modeled well enough
externally, although the 10 enemy
entities and three civilian vehicles
appear to be stylized. There are no
interior views so the driver and
gunner screens give you the feel of
sitting on the outside of the tank.

Aside from eye-candy considera-
tions. the M1A2‘s characteristics
have been stripped. SPEARHEAD
provides only for HEAT and SABOT
rounds, even giving them antiair
capability. When you drive your
tank, you never need worry about
smoke, and the ride is way too
smooth. Gunnery is simple: Point,
laze, and fire, with no indirect
options. Although vehicle compo-
nents can be damaged, the usual
result is the enemy's destruction.
Unlike in most sims, crew members
don't notify the commander of
damage; he must notice something
wrong and view another screen.

IVIS Eyes

The fatal flaw of
this game is the
interface for the
Inter-Vehicular
Information System
(IVIS), which affords
you a bird's-eye
view of the field and
lets you issue orders
to vehicles and
assets. A hot-key
accesses a textured
contour map, which
in turn leads to
three other menus.

You execute the six

vehicle orders (map zoom, com-
munication, and the like) by first
clicking on the order, then clicking
on the vehicle, clicking on the
target, and — finally — exiting. So,
to give a set of orders to a single
vehicle (or artillery or infantry unit)
requires seven (or more) clicks!

This would be bad enough in a
turn-based game, but in a real-
time simulation it's unforgivable.

While you can drive toward a
target via the IVIS, you aren't
going to find good hull-down
positions. In general, operating
your tank is a confusing blur of
joystick, keys, and keypad arrows:
A real action game, much less a
sim, should have better controls
than this. The confusion extends
to the manual, which spends too
much time dealing with multi-
player issues for which the sce-
narios provided are ill suited.
Forget the mission editor; there
are far better products available.

SPEARHEAD does have a few
good points, such as refugees
and conveniently marked mine-
fields, but these hardly compen-
sate for the clumsy interface,
strange vehicle controls, or sim-
plistic victory conditions. It's hard
to imagine either serious tank-
sim enthusiasts or fans of arcade
armor games finding much to
enjoy here.S3I7

DEADEYE DICK The human tank comman-
der has near-complete intelligence and
superior arms. The Al reaiiy can't put up
much of a fight

COMPUTER

GAMIMGI

-WORLD

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

v.compulcrKdminf;.c

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The difference is tangible. Takeoff is
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__Manueverabiiity Is phenomenal. Dead-
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The F-16 “Fly-by-uiire"
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REVIEW • WARBIRDS 2.01

Furballs in 3D Major

The Classic Internet Sim Gets a 3D Makeover

by John Nolan

I very day, hundreds of
WARBIRDS gainers enlist
in the service of one of
I four generic countries
and cruise the Internet
skies looking for trouble.
Using 50 different WWII
I aircraft, they dogfight,
attack ground targets, and try to
capture airfields to "win the war"
for their chosen flag. The absolute
best aspect of WARBIRDS is that
its designers are never satisfied.
Since the debut of the sim back in
December 1995, new versions
have appeared every few months.
The latest major upgrade, version
2.01, delivers beautifully rendered
3D aircraft and terrain, all new 2D
cockpit art, revised flight models,
and new airframe stress limits.
Overall, it's a tourde force that

computer' 1

WORLD

APPEAL Those
who want to fight
human opponents
in realistic WWiI
aircraft

PROS: Excellent
graphics; great
flight mo*i: superb
damage/stress
modeling.' free head-to-head play.

CONS: Extremely expensive arena play;
3D requires fast CPU and 3D accelerator.
DIFFICULTY: Intermediate.
REQUIREMENTS: Pentium 90 (P-1 33
for D3D version), 16MB RAM (32MB for
D30 version), DirectXS-compatible sound
and video cards, Internet connection.

3D SUPPORT: Direct 30.
MULTiPUYER SUPPORT: Modem,

LAN (2 players), TCP/IP (2 players),
Internet arena (2-1 50+ players); 1 CD
per player.

Price: Free Internet download; J30 per 20
hours of play

Publisher: Interactive Magic
Research Triangle Park, MC
(919) ‘161-0722

www.imagicgames.c

makes WARBIRDS the flight leader
in online air combat.

Nice Wings, Baby

The centerpiece of this revision
is the 3D art. Artwork gets deliv-
ered in standard (640x480) or high
resolution (1024x768), although
the high-res 3D requires a fast
Pentium ll-dass CPU to deliver a
playable frame-rate. (The published
minimum CPU requirements are
unrealistically low for smooth play.)
Either way, aircraft graphics are
historically accurate, stunning, and
incredibly detailed. You'll see repre-
sentative squadron markings on
the planes, exhaust smudges from
the engines, and excellent light-
sourcing. Tbe ground looks realis-
tic, and the sky presentation is just
as good; superb special effects,
such as flak bursts, complete the
package.

If you don't have a fast Direct3D
accelerator card, you'll still find the
game eminently playable in 2D
mode. All gameplay capabilities are
the same and the 2D artwork is
outstanding. In fact, the cockpit
interiors and gauges are drawn in
exceptionally detailed 2D in both
resolution settings. The cockpits
include bit-mapped gauges mod-
eled on actual instruments, with
new working g-meters, engine oil
pressure- and temperature gauges,
and other instruments added to
the display. As cutting edge as the
2D cockpits are, you'll get an even
more amazing visual experience if
you have a 3D accelerator card.

Combat Stressed

The improved flight model more
accurately reflects the handling
differences between the various
aircraft, which adds real depth to
the 50 different planes included in
the simulation. You may master
the Spitfire, but strapping on a
Focke Wulf will call for a much dif-
ferent approach to air combat

maneuvers. The stall and spin char-
acteristics of each aircraft are a
major part of these differences
and receive particular attention in
the upgrade. While most of the
planes still seem reluctant to enter
a full spin, the effects and recovery
techniques are more realistic once
the plane is actually in the spin.

Stress limits are now part of the
flight mode! computations: Dive too
quickly and you can pull a wing off.
Overspeeding gear or flaps will
stick them in position and degrade
your flight performance. The
detailed damage model also affects
aircraft performance: If your right
aileron gets shot away, your plane's

MIXING METAL Collisions
with enemy planes— or
fragments of former enemy
planes— prove instantly
fatal, so don’t get too dose.

roll performance deteriorates
accordingly. Many other sims don't
model battle damage this specifi-
cally. WARBIRDS shines in this area
with a sophisticated damage map
that tracks where each bullet hits
and even alters the plane's appear-
ance in the 3D mode.

The designers aren't resting yet,
either. Plans for the next revision
include an improved game inter-
face, changes to field-capture
requirements, a new scoring/
awards system, and paratroopers.

The downside to all of this is
that WARBIRDS 2.01 is priced con-
siderably higher than its two
competitors. Its outdated pricing
model of $30 for 20 hours of play
and $2 per additional hour seems
particularly outrageous when you
compare it to the flat rate of $10
per month for unlimited play on
AIR WARRIOR or FIGHTER ACE.
However, you can fly head-to-
head against a friend for free, and
there are now some offline train-
ing missions.

Despite its sky-high pricing
scheme, this WWII sim boasts an
incredibly loyal clientele. It's the
best online flight sim out there; but
excellence here, as in the rest of life,
comes at a higher price. W

.COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

/.computergaming ■

»► Missions and Levels

1 ^ Multi-Player Network Combat

► All existing leve|| n®4^ become ,
Multi-Player’'

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irJi

REVIEW * NFL CAMEDAY 99

Stuffed at the Goal Line?

NFL Gameday 99 Doesn 't Quite Get Over the Top

by Brett Todd

he fever hit early this
summer. I don't really
know why. Maybe I'd
sniffed too much
propane while cooking
up burgers on the B6Q.
Maybe I'd just seen one
too many Mark McGwire
highlights. Regardless, by the time
mid-August rolled around, I was
salivating over thoughts of the
upcoming NFL season.

This left me in kind of a tough
way for a few weeks, After all,
there's only so much that anemic
preseason games, a stack of
pigskin preview mags, and the
soothing voice of that guy from
NFL Films could do to tide me
over until opening day. Thankfully,
there was an alternative. Instead
of waiting for Fox to defrost Terry

.WORI-E>

APPEAL: Football
fans who want to
check out the new
(PC) kid on the
block.

PROS: Challenging
solo play with good
computer Al;

Internet action-play
option.

CONS: Teams too similar, one playbook
for everybody; Internet play often suffers
from lag problems.

DIFFICULTY l£VEL: Intermediate,
REQUIREMENTS: Pentium 166 with
Dire<d3D compatible graphics accelerator
card- Windows 95/98, 8x CD-ROM,
Windows 95/98 sound card, 32MB RAM,
3D SUPPORT: SOfx, D3D-compatible
cards, including most major chipsets.
MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: 2 players
via modem {28.8Kbps or faster required),
IPX, orTCP/lP LAN: 1 CD per player.

Price: S39.99

Publisher: 989 studios {Sony Computer
Enteilsinmeni America)

Foster City, Ca
(883)426-3702

wsvw.989studios.(

MAYBE THIS WILL COOL YOU DOWN, DEON Soldier Field looks pretty uninvit-
ing to these hot-blooded Texans.

MADDEN 99? Is it a
potential contender
for football game of
the year, or just
another half-baked
console port? Well,
after much careful
consideration I have
to say... yes.

After more than
30 games with
GAMEDAY 99, I'm
still trying to pin
this one down. The
game does
just

enough right that I have
fun playing it, but it's a
guilty pleasure akin to
tapping your feet to the
Spice Girls' hit "Wanna-
be." You enjoy the
moment, until, "What
the hell am I doing?"
pops into your mind.

up GAMEDAY 99 are
the great visuals and
in-your-face audio.
The presentation is
first-rate all the way,
from the hit-packed
opening video
through the on-field
graphics, which are
easily the best I've
seen in a PC football
game to date.
Authentic stadiums
and real-time
weather with chang-
ing field conditions
help provide atmos-
phere; a game at
Solider Field in snowy
weather feels as cold
on my PC as it would
in the stands.

A DirectSD acceler-
ator is required to
see all this eye candy, but the
designers have thoughtfully
included support for just about
every chipset under the sun.

Sound is also excellent, with all
the tackles and pile-ups accentu-
ated with just the right amount of
grunts and crashes, Dick Enberg
and Phil Simms handle the play-
by-play in adequate fashion,
though their lack of awareness
gets irritating at times. Stuff the
opposition on 4th-and-one and
you're likely to hear Dick come up

Bradshaw, I could check out NFL
GAMEDAY 99 on my PC. 989
Studios jumped the gun this sea-
son and made sure that gamers
could spend the last days of sum-
mer playing its port of the popu-
lar Sony PlayStation title.

Of course, NFL GAMEDAY's being
a PC rookie and hitting the shelves
early in the season raises a couple
of important questions. Is it a
legit title or merely a time-filler for
those too impatient to wait for

Missing in Action

The first things that
you'll notice on booting

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD ♦ DECEMBER 1998

L'.computerguming.c

NFL GAMEDAY 99 • REVIEW

HEY, NOT TOO CLOSE, JOHNNY! John Elway and his center get up
close and personal (now we know how he pulled his hammy).

with, "That can't be good for
more than a couple."

Fourth and Forever

Unfortunately, the visceral
thrills wear off pretty fast — and
then you'll start to notice what
/sn'f there. The designers at 989
Sports didn't make a lot of
changes from the PlayStation ver-
sion, and it shows, as the game
lacks a number of little, and not-
so-little, extras.

For example, there's no player
editor. The manual omits most
useful information, and then gar-
bles what is there for good mea-
sure. There's no practice mode.

You can call your play and then
sit back to watch the computer
play out the result, but this isn't a
true coaching mode because
without your help on the game-
pad your boys are doomed.

There's no way to play different
league schedules, so you must
replay the 1998 season over and
over again. Games can't be saved
in progress. You can play full 1 5-
minute quarters, but no time ticks
off during huddles, so expect a lot
of 75-55 scores if you insist on
playing with the real-world clock.
About the only concession to the
PC crowd is a draft league option.

But the most obvious flaw is the
lack of any real differentiation
between the teams, at least as
long as you're guiding them. While
dubs do have strengths in various
areas, these aren't nearly as pro-
nounced as they should be. The
end result of this is a level playing
field in which even the lowly (but
rising. I'll give 'em that) Seattle
Seahawks have a good shot at

taking out the shoulda-been Super
Bowl champion Packers on even
the Rookie difficulty setting.

This makes for a challenging
solo play experience, of course, but
seeing the overpaid, over-rated
likes of Ricky Watters make mince-
meat of one of the best defensive
units in the league for four solid
quarters tends to get annoying.

To make matters even worse,
all the teams share the same
playbook — which you're stuck
with thanks to that lack of a play
editor. So even though the New
York Giants prefer a ground
attack (like they've got a choice
with Danny Kanell taking the
snaps), they're working with the

same plays as the bomb-
happy New England
Patriots. This gets irritat-
ing fast because the same
plays work for everyone
pretty much equally. On
the other hand, even
though ! did discover a
few plays with high rates
of success, I wasn't able
to find any money plays.

Soooo
Satisfying...

GAMEDAY 99's one saving
grace — and it's a big one — is
smart, exciting action once you get
on the field. When you actually
start running plays, the game is
strong enough to make you forget
about (most of) the flaws and con-
centrate on the always-challenging
task of beating the PC. While the
player can make virtually every
team and player in the game per-

form at the
same level, the
computer Al
doesn't run the
squads like that.

After starting
a season with
my beloved
Cowboys, i was
pleasantly sur-
prised to find
the PC-guided
Giants using a
ball-control
strategy against
me while the
high-flying Raiders attacked me
with an incessant aerial assault. I
was faced with a realistically man-
aged opponent in virtually every
game I played. Players were always
just a little bit better than they
should have been, but once I got
into the trenches i was too caught
up with trying to win to really care.
And since the game is such a chal-
lenge, winning gave me a sense of
satisfaction that I haven't felt since
Sierra's FRONT PAGE SPORTS:
FOOTBALL PRO people last delivered
a bug-free product. . .and man,
that's quite a while ago.

The arcade play is also satisfy-
ing. Unlike a lot of other football
games with arcade options, this
one really works — meaning that
you can actually do things with
your gamepad that have an effect
on the game. Players do move in a
somewhat awkward diagonal
motion that takes some getting

used to, but once you get the hang
of which buttons do what (you
can configure everything, as well),
you'll be juking your way to extra
yardage and batting passes away
in no time. Even straightforward
tackling is fun thanks to the ani-
mation that depicts even the most
mediocre stop as a 'wrap-'em-up-
and-body-slam-'em' bone crunch-
er. Realistic? No, Fun? Heck, yeah.

The ability to play full-action
games over the Internet through
989 Studios' online matching ser-
vice is also a plus, although this is
not without its defects. Besides the
seemingly unavoidable lag difficul-
ties, the chief kink involves a bug
in the kicking game. Booting extra-
points and FGs — not to mention
getting decent yardage on punts
and kickoffs — is virtually impossi-
ble as of this writing due to latency
problems that cause the kick meter
to stutter, A patch issued at the
start of September lessened the
severity of this problem, but it can
still be an issue at times.

End Zone

Overall, NFL GAMEDAY 99 is an
enjoyable but frustrating experi-
ence. The basic design limitations
force you to make too many con-
cessions to consider it as a major
player in the football sim arena,
It'll do until opponents like
MADDEN 99 and FOOTBALL PRO 99
arrive, but after that it's doubtful
whether any serious PC pigskin
fans will keep playing.

v.compu(erg.imin(’.(

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

REVIEW • MOTOCROSS MADNESS

Mud in Your Eye!

Finally, a Realistic Motocross Game

by Greg Fortune

here are computer simu-
lations of most sports
that try to capture the
essence and excitement
of what makes the sport
great. Some sports, such
as football and basebaii,
have enjoyed severai
years of serious, outstanding, reai-
istic computer games. Things have
not been so good for everyone,
however. Those of us who ride
motocross bikes have had nothing
but iame attempts to put homoge-
nous bumps in a track that force
your bike into the air. Let me teii
you, that's not what it's aii about.

So who would have figured that
Microsoft wouid take aii the mud
that's been flung at them and use
it to make MOTOCROSS MADNESS,
the finest off-road motorcycle
game ever created?

computer'

GAMiniG

R l_ D

APPEAL Anyone
who's fantasized
about riding one of
these babies.

PROS: Excellent
physics model; wide
variety of play
modes; outstanding
3D graphics; butt-simple track editor.
CONS: Poor documentation.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL Intermediate.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
166 with 2MB 3D card or Pentium 133
with 4MB 3D card, Windows 95/98, 8x
CD-ROM, Windows 95/98, 1 6MB RAM,
BOMB hard-drive space.

3D SUPPORT: D30, 3Dfx.
MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: modem {2
players), LAN or IPX (2-8 players),
Internet via Internet Gaming Zone (2-4
players); 1 CD per player.

Price: t54.95

Designer: Rairrbow Studios
Publisher: Mictosoh Corp.

Redmond, WA.

(425) 882-8080

HtGH RISK MOVES Better get those feet
back on the pegs before landing, or you'll
be wearing your pants as a hat

MOMMY! Hey, if you don't pull this
one off, at least you'll already be in
the fetal position!

modeled so you can go
anywhere your heart
desires. This is especially
true of the stunt quarries,
where the name of the
game is seeing how many
points you can score for
pulling off any of the 16
(yes that's 16} available
stunts. They're all there:
barneys, nak-naks, super-
man, the big kahuna, and
more. If you've got enough
air and planned your jump well,
you just might make it. If not, you
are in for some really big crashes.
Some of the stunts are (realisti-
cally) difficult to master.

Your virtual rider can be com-
pletely controlled from a standard
game pad. He leans, shifts his
weight forward and back, and

confirmed my impression — this
game rules. Now everyone can get
a taste of what makes motocross
such an awesome sport for less
than the cost of a new Metzler for
my Y2. If you like bikes, or just like
having fun, you should check this
one out. It's one of the year’s
gaming highlights. LKciVi

Biker Tricks

The game's interface is very easy
to navigate, and the options are
very straightforward, You have your
choice of four different types of
tracks; Stunt Quarry, Baja, Super-
cross, and Nationals. Each type has
several riding areas, so there's a lot
of replay value. The garage screen
is also quite simple and lets you
modify everything from your motor
to springs, shocks, and traction.

One thing you need to know is
that if you don't have a 3D accel-
erator, you can't play MOTOCROSS
MADNESS. Just as in the real
sport, you have to have the
proper equipment to get out on
the trails. If you do have a 30
card, you are in for a treat. The
graphics are fast, smooth, and
detailed. The game looks equally
gorgeous in D3D or 3Dfx mode,
so either way you win. The bikes
are wonderfully detailed and
model everything from the teeth
on the rear sprocket to the puff of
grey-blue smoke out of your pipe
when you first open the throttle.
The distinctive growl of the two-
stroke engine even sounds right.

Barney Meets Superman

Once you've selected a bike
and a riding area the real fun
begins. The areas are fully

even stands on the
pegs appropriately.

The physics of the
bike and rider are very
well done. One of the
most popular ways to
turn a bike around if
you are stopped on a
trail pointing the
wrong direction is to
lean the bike over and
"roost" the back tire
around behind you. I
was happy to find
that this move also
works here. You can
also pull wheelies,
twist the bike in the
air, and fly over the
bars with amazing
realism.

King of the
Open Road

I was worried
that I was partial to
this game because I
actually like to ride
motocross bikes, but
several other non-
riding people have

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OI99S IdteHigfnt Odmestldyrsygriosis UdDcs-jinea b/lnletij'.cnl Gimevl’ro I B World four Golf, fo/gnosi? and the f'lntt'Oiis lo|0 are"- orSPsygnosu LimiVed.AII riKlitv lecerved.l he raimp icon n a trademark of the Interaetivc Digital Software Aiscoation

^3U

1968, they changed the rules ef Grand Prix racing
tn cut down on driver fatalities.

mmmv

I E G E IV D S "

Powered hy

01998 Sierra On-Line, Inc. *and™de$ign3le trademarks of, Of licensed to, Sierra On-Urte, Inc., BeBevue, WA 98007. At nghts reserved. Papyrus and it>e
PapyrusfogoaretrademarksofPapynjsDespnGrDup.Inc. At oUrertredemarksareBiepropertyol their re^iecbve owners and are used under permission.

www.8ierrasports.com

Pulling out of a power slide. The g-forces throwing you around the cockpit. You realize,
you’re sitting behind the truest 3D engine ever built. Racing the likes of Jack Brabham and
Jim Clark. At Monza, Spa and Nurburgring. 1967 was a historic turning point in Formula
One racing. Welcome to Grand Prix Legends™. Racing sims will never be the same.

Go to #135 @ www.computergaming.com/infoIlnk

REVIEW • REDLINE RACER

Slow Down

Redline Racer Offers Quick Thrills, but Even Quicker Crashes

M JiM ei Ml

FLYING THROUGH THE AIR This sort of accident is not uncom-
mon on the suicidal Le Grand Blanc

little vehicle dynamics (espe-
cially when compared with
Microsoft's MOTOCROSS MAD-
NESS or Intense Simulation's
SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONS).
REDLINE players have just one
incentive — to unlock better
bikes and inaccessible circuits
by winning races.

And, because the only win-
ning race is usually a crash-free
race, REDLINE RACER becomes a
very repetitive process of drive
for a bit, crash, restart, repeat.

DAY AT THE BEACH A speed of
281 KPH is good enough for
only 8th place. This game is
too fast.

by Gordon Goble

Y ou know those

dreams where you're
falling faster and
faster and you're
nearly moving at the
speed of light yet you
know you've got to
fall even fester if
you're gonna escape those
demons nipping at your hurtling
body but if you go any faster
you'll either smack something
with staggering force or perhaps
even evaporate?

Well that's what REDLINE RACER
is like. Can you handle this sort of
speed? I couldn't.

Watch Your Speed

Well, let me rephrase that. I
can't handle racing games in
which the challenge lies in beat-
ing the program's opponents over

compl/ter' 1

GAMII^

APPEAL: Very
patient motorcycle
racing fans.

PROS: Pretty,
detailed, and varied
environments;
superb crash
effects.

CONS: Too much speed for the intricate
courses, too much variability in trackside
boundaries, and too many blind oppo-
nents spell too many pinball-like crashes.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Advanced.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium 1 33
(vwlh 3Dfc( car^; Windows 95/98, 4x CD-
ROM; 16MB RAM.

3D SUPPORT: 3Dfx, 03D-compatible
cards, most major 3D chipsets.
MULTIPUYER SUPPORT: Modem,
LAN, or Internet (all 2-8 players): 1 CD
per player.

Price; $49.99

Designer: Criterion Studios
Publisher: Ubi Soft Entertainment
Montreal, Quebec
(800)UBI-SOFT

courses that are too tight for the
speed. In England-based devel-
oper Criterion Studios' REDLINE
RACER, victory in all but the intro-
ductory level relies on two fac-
tors: an ability to drive incredibly
fast over the span of a sub-five
minute event, and the good for-
tune to steer clear of the artifi-
cially unintelligent opponents
along the way.

To make matter worse, the
game locks away nearly two-
thirds of its bikes and tracks for
those who can successfully navi-
gate the first circuits at the sadis-
tically quick "Medium" and
"Hard" difficulty levels. With no
championship mode, no garage,
crash-happy opponents, and very

Well, It's Pretty

That said, REDLINE is not a total
loss. With 1 0 tracks spread across
six unique, detailed environments,

REDLINE puts on a solid graphic
show designed to take advantage
of 3D accelerator cards. Expect
falling snow, icy climes, and rib-
bon-thin roadways at Le Grand
Blanc, sand, surf, and some beau-
tiful sun and lens flare effects at
Sandy Cove; dusk racing at the
quiet country meadows; and huge
dips and dales at Tudor Hill.you'W
see much more than this if you
progress through the game.

But, no matter which course
you select, it's hard to tell just
where the navigable world ends
and the invisible crash-o-matic
trackside boundaries begin.
Granted, most boundaries — rock
walls, cliff faces, man-made
barriers, and the like — are appar-
ent, yet other seemingly obvious
borders are quite negotiable.

The game depicts crashes in
exceedingly dramatic fashion.
Bikes twirl and skip across the
landscape while dislodged riders
bounce and contort like rag dolls.

Vehicle dynamics, meanwhile,
are arcade all the way. Yes, you'll
lean into corners and "waggle"
when on the bitter edge, but you'll
often feel that you're riding on a
cushion of air, struggling to keep
your loose-handling bullet within
the parameters of each course.

Half Baked

Unfortunately, I didn't have a
chance to check out the
promised 8-player
REDLINE Internet feature,
as game distributor Ubi
Soft was still working on
a patch for its game ser-
vice at press time.

Had REDLINE RACER
been released a year and
a half ago, my analysis
may have been more
favorable. But it wasn't,
and that leaves this bike
racer a mid-pack runner
at best. LK'itcj

DON'T BLINK This mid-pack group
blazes through blurred scenery that
only adds to the staggering sense of
speed.

rOMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 199B

v.computergaming.com

uete at the
Driving Range

1 Play “extreme'
I golf on the
haunted Mojo
Bay Course

goaded With cheal
pranks ^

Experience Deathmatch
Golf on the Dimension
X battlefield

Attitude!

www.AccessSoftware.com

Go to #076 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

UlL

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01996 Gremlin Interactive UrI. Licensed from and developed Py Gremlin Interactive Ltd. All Rights Reserved. £>1998 Twentieth Century
Fox Film Corporation, Inc. All flights fleserved. Twentielh Century Fox: "Fox " and their associated logos are the property of Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation. PlayStation and ilie PlaySiation logos are regislererl Iradematxs ol Sony Computer Entertainment Inc

iGremlinl

PlnyStoiian

Go to #1 21 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

WWW.FOXinTERRCTIVE.com

REVIEW • TIGER WOODS 99

Tiger in the Rough

Tiger's PC Round Livens Up the PGA TOUR Franchise — but It's No LINKS

by Scott May

F or years. EA Sports'
underrated PGA TOUR
GOLF has quietly held its
ground in the shadow of
heavy hitters like LINKS
LS and JACK NICKLAUS
GOLF. Now EA takes a
Tiger by the tail and turns

APPEAL Any
digital duffer.

PROS: Lush 3D
graphics; Flash
Draw soeen
updates; good
expansion-
course support;
supports older PGA TOUR courses.

CONS: Tedious menu design; some
graphic glitches; no lefty options; an
overdose of "Tiger" options.
DIFFICULTY; Intermediate.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
133, Windows 95/98, 32MB RAM,

1 00MB hard-drive space, 1 MB PCI video
card, 4x CD-ROM drive.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT; Internet
(1-4 players), LAN (2-4 players) and
modem (2 players); 1 CD per player.

3D SUPPORT: 3Dfi<, DirectBD-compatible

Price: S39.99

Publisher: EA Sports

San Mateo. CA

(800) <148-8822

this venerable series on its ear
with TIGER WOODS 99. A deft
blend of golf sim and arcade
flash, this game has muscle and
attitude to spare.

It doesn't take a marketing
genius to understand EA's eupho-
ria in bagging Tiger Woods' first
gaming endorsement. The hot-
shot young star of the PGA circuit
is perhaps the best role model
this particular sport has ever
seen. So it's not surprising that a
game cast in his image is fast,
lively, and even
inspirational.

A Course
Is a Course

The game comes
with three 18-hole
courses — Pebble
Beach Golf Links,

TPC at Sawgrass,
and TPC at
Summerlin — with
additional course
disks already avail-
able, including Bay
Hill Club, South-
wind, Las Colinas,

Scottdales, Cog Hill,
and Colonial
Country Club. But
here's the real kick-
er: EA Sports has
rewarded loyal PGA
TOUR fans by

including a utility that imports —
and converts to 3D — any courses
from the following titles: PGA
TOUR 96 FOR WINDOWS, PGA TOUR
PRO, PGA TOUR GOLD, CLASSIC
COURSES CD, SPANISH BAY course
disc, and PGA TOUR LAPTOP. You
can even export TIGER WOODS 99
and its add-on courses to the
above-mentioned games (with the
exception of PGA TOUR 96 FOR
WINDOWS).

Nine game modes give players
plenty of variety. The modes
include practice, stroke, tourna-
ment, skins, shoot-out, match play,
foursomes, fourball, and driving
range. Players can hit the greens
competing as (or against) Tiger or
one of seven other PGA champs:
Mark O'Meara. Lee Janzen, Peter
Jacobsen, Tom Kite, Craig Sadier,
Brad Faxton, and Davis Love III.
Sorry, ladies, you're stuck with a
lone generic female golfer named
Cindy. You can also create a cus-
tom player profile that mirrors
your own real-life attributes — if
that's your idea of fun.

The game's graphics engine has
been totally revamped from the
last PGA TOUR outing, and it now
supports both hardware- and soft-
ware-accelerated 3D video. By far
the biggest improvement is EA's
proprietary Flash Draw technology,
which renders each shot on the
fly — and 1 mean that literally. The
game camera follows the ball in
flight, then swings immediately
around for the next shot. No wait-
ing. The result is a more immersive
style of play than PC golfers have
ever played.

In 2D mode, the high-res
graphics are quite good; in 3D
mode they're even better. My
only complaint is with the
blotchy background objects.

Close up, they just don't "fit"
with the realistically rendered
foregrounds and stunning sky
effects. Worst of all are the dorks
in the gallery, who increase in
number the better you play.

TIGER WOODS 99 handles ani-
mations quite well, using digitally
captured versions of Tiger and his

GOOD FOLLOW-THROUGH In addition to the nine courses already available in
the game, you can also convert older PGA Tour Golf courses for play with
TIGER WOODS 99.

COMPUTER

GAMING

..WORLD

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

/.computerg.inilngx

TtCER WOODS 99 • REVIEW

TIGER STRIPES Smack a Tiger Shot and you'll know: Tiger's body
electrifies and the ball explodes on contact with the club head. It's
one of the game's few arcade flourishes.

contemporaries. We even get
some signature Tiger emotions,
such as his fist pump and “raise
the roof" antics that follow good
shots. He even releases his right
hand on the follow-through after
a particularly bad shot.

One disconcerting note about
graphics: The initial release of TIGER
WOODS, designed for DirectX5.2,
appears to have a problem with
DirectX6. On my rig, a Pentium 233
MMX with an ATI Xpert 98 primary
display and Diamond Monster 3D II
secondary display, the game ran
great using 3D acceleration — until I
installed DirectX6. After that, the
course screens were horribly gar-
bled. The only workable solution,
beyond dumping DirectX6, was to
turn off hardware acceleration
within the game's options menu,
but even this produced some video
corruption, presumably associated
with D3D 6.0 software rendering.

At the time of this writing, EA's
tech support had not yet addressed
this issue.

Tiger Beat

The game's on-course interface
rivals that of LINKS LS for clean,
unobtrusive design. In fact, every-
thing you need to know is con-
tained within the high-tech swing
meter: wind speed and direction,
club selection, distance to the pin,
height of the pin relative to your

ball, risk meter, ball lie, and
adjustments for fade, draw, and
backspin. Two types of club
swings are available: old-fash-
ioned twitch-and-click and ana-
log Pro Swing, EA's attempt to
create a natural, mouse-motion
swing. I think most players will
opt for Pro Swing, because it
offers greater control and better
accuracy, particularly on chip
shots and putting.

One cool feature is the Tiger
Zone — the nickname given to
the swing meter's overpower
area. Traditionally, any back-
swing allowed to extend past
the overpower mark resulted in
a wild, unpredictable shot. Here,
expert use of the Tiger Zone
(modeled after Woods' real-life
tendency to overpower his drives)
can be quite beneficial. Players
who can backswing into the Tiger
Zone, then hit the bottom aiming
mark dead-on, are rewarded with
an echo-laden voice that booms.
"Tiger Shot!' Tiger's on-screen
character flashes with elearicity
and the ball explodes on contact
with the dub. Sure, it's a arcade-
style gimmick — but it's fun.

Speaking of the Tiger Zone,
though, the game is overloaded
with cutesy-poo Tiger Talk, EA
milks its beloved franchise for all
it's worth with feature names like
Tiger Vision, Tiger Charge, Tiger

Tips, Tiger Shots, and, you guessed
it. Tiger Toons. If the game weren't
so good, it might be enough to
make me Tiger Puke.

That said, most of these
Tigerisms are actually viable
gameplay features. Tiger Tips ran-
domly appear during stroke and
practice play, offering professional
advice. Tiger Vision lets you
choose between aggressive and
safe shots, and Tiger Charge gives
the computer-controlled Tiger an
extra Al boost after a birdie,
eagle, or monster drive.

Some other minor quibbies
include tedious pre-game menus

that force you to jump through
numerous hoops and sub-menus
to set options before finally hit-
ting the greens. (Fans familiar
with other recent menu-happy EA
Sports titles know what a pain
this can be.) The printed game
manual is actually better than
we've come to expect from EA,
but it's still a gray, colorless read,
augmented with online help and
a browser-enabled Play Guide
that took me a good 30 minutes
to get working. I suspect EA has a
lot of patching to do here. Luckily,
the game features a built-in
Internet update utility.

Multiplayer support is well
represented, as you might expect.
Internet play is free and features
both voice and text chat to “heck-
le" (EA's term) your opponents.
First rule of golf: Don't heckle
someone holding a 9 iron unless
you're on the Internet, where
sportsmanship doesn't apply.
Rudeness aside, this is a great
game for remote play, be it over
the Internet, a LAN, or a direct
modem link.

Back to the Clubhouse

All in all, TIGER WOODS 99 is a
solid continuation of EA Sports'
great PGA TOUR GOLF series. It's
challenging but not difficult, fun
but not silly. Once EA irons out all
the wrinkles, this should be a
contender.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

ilk

v.computcrgaming.(

SPEED LIMIT ENFORCED BY AIRCRAFT

Environmental

Audio'*

bv CREATIVE*

3D acceleration not required

Need toi Speed. Eteclronie Arts and llie Electronic Ails logo are trademarks oi reglstoied liademarks ul Eleclionic Ails In Itie U.S. aiid/oi other counliies. All rights received. Scllwaie oopyiiglil © 1993 Electronic Arts. All rights reserved. Auloniobili
Ferrari 550 Maianeiio distinctive design aie trademarks ol Feriari S.p.A, Corvelio Is a General Motois Tiademaik used undei license lo Electronic Ails Inc. SOI* © 1998 3Dfx Inleraclive, Inc. The 3Dlx Interactive logo is a irademaik ol 3Di* inieractive. Inc.

One minute you 're running down speeders in a
Lamborghini Diablo cop car. The next you're
Hying down the treeway in one ol ten exotic
supercars. Because out on these roads, every-
body obeys a higher law. The law of velocity.

LamDoighini. Diablo SV. Coontach 25lh and all associaled logos aie liadcniailis ot Aulomobill Lamboigtiliii S.p.A. feiiaii SSO Maianello. all associated logos and tbe

Go to #226 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

vnnrafMTT niifjM

Arcade Racing with
a Defined Strategy

21 Real-te-life American
Hack Gonfiguraaons

Shocking interactive
AnimaUons

Free Internet
Game Service

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Your Choice. Your Speed. Nevember 1998 !

® 1998 Util Sott. AH rigtiis resaned. All other trademarks are the proaenv of their resdecUve holders.
® 1998 3Dtx Interactive, Inc. The 3 DIk InleracUue logo is trademark of 3DfK inieraciive. inc.

/.computergaming.com/infolink

REVIEW • GOLDEN TEE GOLF

Smashmouth Golf

Coin-op Mega-hit Makes a Surprisingly Great PC Debut

by Scott May

I love computer golf, but I
have to admit, some golf
sims take themselves far
too seriously. Designers are
so caught up in a high-tech
war of 3D graphic engines
and ultra-realistic ball
physics that they forget to
have fun. And that's what golf is
all about.

That's why I welcome games
like GOLDEN TEE GOLF. This is the
most fun I've had on digital greens
since Access Software's original 8-
bit LEADERBOARD GOLF. GOLDEN

Tee's pc version is based on
Incredible Technologies' own 1995
coin-op smash, PETER JACOBSEN'S
GOLDEN TEE 3D GOLF, which
ranked among the top five arcade
games for more than two years. In
just a few short rounds, you'il
understand why.

GAMiMS

APPEAL

Arcade-styie
golf fans.

PROS: Fast
fun game-
play; failiiful
adaptation of
coin-op
smash; out-
standing sola multiplayer, and recorded
play options; TrackSwing is a gas.

CONS: No course construction sec
graphics beg for 3D acceleration.
DIFFJCULTY: Easy.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
90, Windows 95, t6MB RAM, 90MB
hard-drive space, 4x CD-ROM drive.
MULT1PUYER SUPPORT: LAN and
Internet (2-4 players), modem and serial
{2 players); 1 CD per player.

3D SUPPORT: None.

Price: S29.99

Publisher: Irrcredible Technologies Inc.

Rolling Meadows, IL
(847) 870.7027

v.itsgames.com

GOLDEN TEE is to golf sims what
Sierra's 3D ULTRA PINBALL is to pin-
ball sims. In other words, don't
expect a lot of realism. Everything
is either over-simplified or wildly
exaggerated. Where else can you
knock in a 60-foot putt your first
time out, or bag a double eagle
without breaking a sweat? The
best comparison I can make would
be with Sony's outrageously enjoy-
able HOT SHOTS GOLF on the
PlayStation.

LINKS, It Ain't

What GOLDEN TEE lacks in real-
ism it makes up for with pure,
unabashed fun, The PC translation
is a dead-on clone of the coin-op
version, enhanced with multiplayer
support, recorded play, and voice
chat. True to its arcade roots, the
game is so easy to play, even bare
beginners will be up and swinging
like pros within a few minutes.
Believe it or not, such simplicity is
key to the game's long-term
appeal. Average players can pound
out 18 holes in 30 minutes or less.
The real trick is limiting yourself to
just 18 holes.

Tlie game's physics model is
loose, to say the least, but can be
easily tightened up in the options
menu as your experience grows.
Three fantasy courses are available,
with additional links available
soon — perhaps by the time you
read this. That's great, but why not
cut to the chase and release a
course-construction kit instead? In
all honesty, the course graphics
here are colorful and fun, but
they're nothing to send TIGER
WOODS 99 or LINKS LS running
back to the drawing board.

The course graphics in GOLDEN
TEE drip fantasy cut-and-pasie:
Weird archipelagoes and oddly
mixed foliage line some fairways.
Objects like cactus and boulders
stand like monoliths, absurdly
out of proportion, making some

terrain look like bizarre sets from
TV's Lost in Space.

Reinventing
the Trackball

In the coin-op version, players
control the club swing using a
trackball. Sounds goofy, but it real-
ly works well. In the PC version, IT
developed something called
Trackswing, which recreates the
trackball mechanics using a mouse.
Players first pull back the mouse to
initiate the backswing, which
moves the distance bar in the over-
head window. Next, simply push
forward to complete the swing and
hit the ball, To hook or slice, push
forward with a right- or left-hand
curve. The motion feels natural and

delivers a nice little tactile "hit"
upon contact with the ball.

Many other publishers are
trying to reinvent the computer
mouse swing, but TrackSwing
stands out as a model of simplicity
and execution. If you own a track-
ball, it works even better.

Other goodies include auto-save
highlights, a Greatest Shots Club,
and hilarious voice-overs that
spout encouragements like, "You
are the greatest!" in an earnestly
dopey, Greg Brady kind of way. Ya
gotta love it.

It's been ages since I've played
a golf game as fun and addictive
as GOLDEN TEE GOLF. Who needs
realism when you've got game-
play this hot?

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

^.roiiipiJtpr(>aming.<

“Chessmaster 6000 is truly impressive. It’s comfortable, fun, instructive
and a competitive outlet for all ages and skill levels. But most importantly,
Chessmaster will teach you about the human side of the game... how to
grow within the beauty of this great art form.”

Josh Waitzkin, International Chess Master
Go to #193 @ www.computergaming.com/lnfollnk

REVIEW • COMMANDOS: BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Not So Special Forces

The Soldiers in COMMANDOS Are More Puzzle Pieces Than Fighters

by Tim Carter

I as the seemingly end-
less deluge of unorigi-
nal, cookie-cutter real-
time strategy games got
you down? Are you feel-
ing like it's time for
something different?
COMMANDOS: BEHIND
ENEMY LINES from Eidos Interaaive
is unquestionably one of the most
different games to hit either the
strategy or action markets over the
last few years. Of course, difference
comes with a price.

In COMMANDOS, you follow a
24-scenario campaign that begins
in 1 941 and lasts throughout the
war in Europe. The Germans control
the continent, and it's your job to
conduct small but significant raids
to tie down troops, keep morale up
at home, and facilitate victory in
the great battles to come.

computer' 1

GAMII^

APPEAL: Gamers
more interested in
puzzles than in
real, squad-level
strategy.

raos: Slick, dif-
ferent, and innov-
ative; highly satis-
fying when you do
things right.

CONS: Frequently frustrating, requiring
multiple attempts to get most tilings
right troops won't defend themselves
unless so ordered; prone to crash.
DIFFICULTY: Intermediate.
REQUIREMENTS: Windows 95/98,
16MB RAM, 150MB hard-drive space, 4x
CD-ROM drive, DirectX 5.2-compatible
sound and video cards,

3D SUPPORT: None.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: LAN or
Mplayer (2-6 players); 1 CD per player.
Price: $49

Publisher: Eidos loieracllve
San Francisco. CA
(415) 547-1200

v.eldosinteractive.c

Commander in Chief

COMMANDOS features a third-
person, isometric view and gives
you a limited set of commands for
directing your strike team. While
many of these orders are individu-
alized to particular soldiers, your
team never exceeds seven people,
so these commands are quite man-
ageable. That's good since the
orders you give comprise the heart
of the game.

Played in realtime. COMMANDOS
also offers a set of fairly unique
challenges — running around killing
everything in sight just won't cut it
here. This game emphasizes stealth
over firepower and puts realistic
limits on the amount of damage
your men can take. In other words,
they die easily. Racking up a large
body count doesn't affect your
score, which should delight purists
who will measure their personal
success by how few Germans they
kill while obtaining their objectives.

A Questionable Mission

There's no question that Eidos is
breaking new ground. Yet with
newness often comes a flaw or two
and, sadly, that is the case here.

My version had a few problems
with Windows 95 and demonstrat-
ed a nasty tendency to shut down
arbitrarily toward the end of each
mission. But then, so does my
word processor. Still, that sort of
thing is disconcerting.

Clearly, the designers want
gamers to use stealth instead of
force. Your troops are lightly armed
and highly vulnerable, forcing you
to plan around, rather than steam-
roll, the enemy. You'll spend a lot
of time observing patrolling guards
and then evading them. If you take

over a machine gun post or cap-
ture a tank, you may be able to
shoot it. (Yes, vehicles play an
important role in many missions
and may be used by your troops to
good effect.) But otherwise secrecy
is the name of the game.

Surprisingly enough, the rela-
tionship between planning and
execution in COMMANDOS detracts
somewhat from gameplay. Given
your highly specific resources, each
mission becomes an elaborate
problem-solving enterprise. And,
while there is usually more than
one way to solve each puzzle,
there are also a lot of wrong ways
to go about it.

Generally, if you fail to solve the
puzzle properly, you have to reload
a saved game and tty again. You
can't win a mission if any of your
people die, and you often can’t win
if an alarm is triggered. Thus, a typ-
ical routine might go something
like this: Try something, fail, reload;
try something else, fail, reload,

Because timing is also impor-
tant, you may figure out what you
want your soldiers to do and still
have to try two or three times
before you succeed. This can be
annoying, particularly when the
problem is complicated and many
elements of it (that is, German
soldiers) are moving in different
directions
simultaneously.

On the other
hand, the inher-
ent difficulty
that's built into
the game makes
each solution
remarkably sat-
isfying. I only
wish that failure
was not so, well,
terminal. Also,
the quick reload
function that
comes up with
the failure

li^ COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

k'.compulergamlng.<

COMMANDOS: BEHIND ENEMY LINES • REVIEW

Your Troops

Your unit pool contains six regular commandos (and a potential
‘’guest"). Each has different abiirties and spedaiized weapons.

(Green Beret)

Okay, so

(Sniper)

diere was no
sudi thing as
a Green Beret
in 1941, and
probably not

Equipped
with easily
the silliest
accent in a
game rife
with silly

too many Americans in the
British Special Forces before (or
after) Pearl Harboc but why
quibble. As your alNaround thug,
Tiny can cany and hide bodies, .
hide in the snow, and is most
useful with a knife.

accents, your sniper has a limited
number of shots for a long-
range, silenced rifle. Very use-
ful— until the bullets run out

(Spsf)

An infiltration
agent who
can also dis-
tract guards '
and quickly
reduce the

(Engineer)

An all-
purpose
desnolitlon
man, Inferno
is, obviously,
good at blow-

ing up things. His bear trap is also
important for reducing the odds
in ambushes or gunfights.

odds when sneaking through
those tough, interlinked defen-
sive systems. '

(Marine)

(Driver)

The only
commando
vwth an auto-
matic

Many scenar-
ios involve
water, and
most allow
you to use
your Marine to

weapon,
Tread can

drive most vehicles, including
tanks and fixed-fire weapons. If
you elect to (or are forced to)
shoot it out, Tread is your man.

maximum advantage. Along with
the usual underwater and boat-
ing skids, Fins' spear gun is an
ideal short-range silent kilter,
allowing you to take out sentries
from a distance with minimal
risk and no noise.

screen didn't work on my copy of
the game, making the reload
process somewhat tedious.

Mixed Forces

The graphics are well done, with
flowing water, steam from train
engines, and large explosions look-
ing very nice indeed, Most com-
mands can be given by mouse or
hot-key, and when time is a factor
the hotkey system makes a big dif-
ference. For instance, you may
need to tell your sniper to stand,
aim, fire, then hit the deck all with-
in a few seconds.

KILLING HIM SOFTLY WITH YOUR GUN A high-powered scope
lets your sniper remove sentries from long range, but be care-
ful that no one sees it

busy elsewhere, not because the
soldier in question couldn't handle
the situation. Perhaps even more
annoying is that your troops won't
get out of the way of oncoming
traffic. There's nothing quite as
frustrating as completing a highly
complicated set of maneuvers to,
say, blow up a dam, only to have
two members of your group get
run over by the escape truck on its
way to pick them up.

In addition, your troops rarely
work together. They can move or
shoot their pistols as a group, hut
that's about the extent of it. I
would have liked to be able to cus-
tomize group action somehow to
get better mileage out of some of
the commandos' special attributes.
Instead, you tend to move all of
your troops to a safe location, then
venture out with one (or perhaps

two) to clear the path to the next
safe haven.

This is less of a problem in mul-
tiplayer mode, when each soldier
may be controlled individually. My
biggest concern with a multiplayer
game, however, is play balance. A
hard puzzle for one player
becomes much easier when it can
be attacked from four or five direc-
tions at once.

Even with the frustration
involved in playing COMMANDOS. I
have to say I had fun with it. The
aggravation caused by seeing one
plan after another fail is more than
compensated for by the satisfac-
tion of finally getting it right.
Ultimately, gamers' reactions will
depend on what they were looking
for from the game in the first
place. If you want a shoot-em-up
WWI! game or a set-piece strategy
simulation.

COMMANDOS comes with an
adequate manual and a truly
impressive tutorial sequence
designed to get you up and run-
ning quickly. Be warned, however,
that your soldiers can't die in the
tutorial, so some of the things you
learn will be counterproductive
once you're in the field.

COMMANDOS also has a few
annoying quirks that detract from
gameplay. For instance, there is no
way to autoprogram your troops,
even to defend themselves. More
than once, I lost a man to inquisi-
tive German patrols because I was

R GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

REVIEW • DUNE 2000

The Worm Turns

An Updated Classic Follows C&C's Tracks In the Sand

by Pete Scisco

1 ans of Frank Herbert's
science-fiction classic
Dune {as well as fans of
I Westwood Studio's
groundbreaking DUNE II
strategy game from
several years back) might
well have something to
look forward to with this remake. If
that sounds like a lukewarm recep-
tion, then understand that DUNE
2000 basically adds cosmetic
changes to DUNE II. It must be
said, however, that these changes
make the game deeper and more
enjoyable, especially in the area of
multiplayer support.

Family Feud

Dune readers will recognize the
Harkonnen and Atriedes forces. The
political, economic, and military

compc/tbr' 1

APPEAU Fans of
the book who
haven't played
many real-time
strategy games.

PROS: Cool
wornis that gobble
up soldiers: easy-
to-use interface.

CONS: Al model
courtesy of Forrest Gump; can't play
campaign as Dune Fremen; been here,
done that.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL Intermediate.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
1 33, Windows 95/98, 1 6MB RAM. 60M8
hard-drive space, 4x CD-ROM, 1 6-bit
color video card with 1 MB of VRAM,
Sound Blaster-compatible sound card.
3D SUPPORT: None.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORTS LAN (2-6
players), Internet (2-4 players), modem
(2 players); 1 CD per game.

Price: $44,99

Publisher: Westwood Studios
Las Vegas, NV
(888) 212-1702

'.westwood.

SAND & CONQUER DUNE 2000 has improved upon the original
with multiplayer matches like this one, but gameplay is essen*
tially COMMAND & CONQUER on nothing but sand maps.

conflicts between those two
houses create the overarching
framework for the story of Paul
Atriedes and his rise as emperor.
The game's third adversary, the
House of Ordos, appears as a cross
between the Borgs and Ferengi of
the Star Trek series — smugglers
without pity or remorse. Players
can play campaigns as any of the
three factions,

COMMAND & CONQUER players
will recognize the "build, harvest,
protect, destroy" mantra that
informs most popular real-time
strategy games. The game borrows
heavily from COMMAND &
CONQUER in its presentation of
more than two dozen missions.

That's not to say, however, that
DUNE 2000 is simply a replica of

COMMAND & CONQUER with dif-
ferent pictures. There are some
touches that help define the
game's Dune setting. For exam-
ple, when building, you must first
place concrete slabs on the sandy
surface to form a foundation for
munitions factories, power gener-
ators, refineries, and the like. This
isn't a requirement, but without
the foundation your buildings will
need constant monitoring and
repair as the harsh Dune environ-
ment works against them, I have
one tiny quibble; Slabs can't be
rotated to fit the available space.

The best Dune aspect comes in
the form of giant sandworms,
which can swallow entire vehi-
cles, including
large units such
as harvesters and
tanks. Worms are
attracted to
vibrations in the
ground and can
turn up when
you try to move
troops into posi-
tion. To avoid the
worms, listen for
the spoken warn-
ing of "worm
sign," then get
your forces to
the safety of rocky islands set out
along the sand.

Cut-scenes and some introduc-
tory materials set the scene, but
the brief footage adds little to the
playing experience. The game's
plot has you smuggled onto Dune
with the assistance of the Bene
Gesserit — a sisterhood of seers
and visionaries who serve as con-
cubines and soothsayers to the rul-
ing classes, while all the time
seeking to control fate from
behind the scenes. Thankfully,
though the clips don't add much
to the game's universe, at least

players are spared the canned
ham of COMMAND & CONQUER.

Atriedes Anonymous

It doesn't quite make sense that
gamers must take the role of some
no-name recruit when it would
have been more interesting to play
the role of Paul Atriedes or that of
the Harkonnen Baron. Also, why
aren't players given the chance to
play on the side of the Fremen, the
nomadic indigenous peoples of
Dune who play a pivotal role in the
novel? (Fremen forces are some-
times available as Atriedes' allies.)

Including the Fremen as a force
would have given players radical-
ly different resource options.
Besides mining spice, the Fremen
must manage their water on the
desert planet. Best of all, they
ride the giant worms to become
warriors. It's hard to imagine a
more unique scenario than
attacking a Harkonnen enclave
with a battalion of worm riders.

As it stands, DUNE 2000 may
attract fans of the book who are
new to real-time strategy games.
But experienced gamers, especially
those who came up through the
ranks of C&C and RED ALERT,
won't quench their thirst for new
action in this title, L'C'iAJ

LAND SHARK There's nothing funny about
the huge, unit*inunching sandworms lurking
beneath the planet's surface. Here's a tip —
stay away from the worms.

k COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » OECEAABER 1998

iputefgaming.com

Special Advertising Section

"a mobster sim"

VEHIAKT

N o longer known simply for
the Tomb Raider series,
Eidos Interactive has a top
-notch strategy line-up doming this
fall and next spring, ^mong them,
one on the best-^tegy titles of
the fall - Commandos^Behind

Gaming
different,

and Gamecenter says
"Commandos is a g[reat'
game!"

Eidos's upcoming strategy
line-up includes thr-ee unique
titles: Gangsters: Organized

-4 i

Crime, Bravelieart, and
Warzone' 2100. The fpllowing
pages contain some tidbits on
these three games, from start-
up strategi|^ and interviews, to
game design overviews. For more
detailed information about any of
the titles, go to the Eidos
Interactive web site at
wvvw.eidosinteractive.com.

EIDOS INTG
ttesnure

eiD03

ADVERTORIAL

PROFILE AND INTERVIEW ON • GANSTERS

www.eldesinteractlve.com

What does it take to
become a mob boss!

You have to be willing to
(heat, lie and steal with
a smile. In the world of
Gangsters you have the
opportunity to do this
and more. But before
you enter into the den
of illegal under dealings
you need some pointers
on making it wHhout
getting rubbed out

time selea the nearest "Gyms".
After the first week of your opera-
tion you should have some new tal-
ent for more teams in your organi-
zation. Strength in numbers is
always a good thing but remember
you have to pay these mugs so
don't spend more dough than you
can steal.

"Before going out on the streets
you're going to need some
heaters. Make sure all of your
hoods got something to shoot
with because ^e law is always
getting in the way."

Weapons

Clicking on the weapons button
opens the list of firearms and
explosives you possess on the right
side of the page, and also display
the firearms and explosives held by
the lieutenant on the left side.
Knives and baseball bats are never
shown: These weapons are used by
your hoods for close combat, and
are supplied by the hoods them-
selves. You only have to concern
yourself with their firearms and
explosives.

Bombing a rival Is not to be taken lightly.

you don't try to extort too much
because your hoods may not have
enough time. Greed only pays if
you have enough time,

button, at the bottom right of the
clipboard to display the business
types. Type “Pool Hall", and then
click on the nearest blocks high-
__ lighted. Click on the
thumbs up to confirm
HObl the order. Do the same
order again, but this

"Hey it cost money to run an
illegal operation. You don't
have any? Well extort it out
from other businesses. What
are neighbors for?"

"You don't have the man-
power to do a job? You want
to whack one of your lieu-
tenants because he's not
doing his job but you can't
because you don't have any-
one to replace him? It's time
to recruit some new blood but
you have to know where to
look first."

ixtortina

Select the Lieutenant responsible
for extortion. A number of blocks
on the map turn blue. This is a tem-
porary measure that denotes all the
commercial blocks in the city. Click
on and highlight in red the blocks
you want to extort money from but

hwhiSnBiMi

Recruiting

Select the Lieutenant allocated to
"Security". Click on the second
button in the left insert, labeled
"Personnel", then select the fifth
icon, labeled 'Recruit*. A new job-
card appears, with the name of this
Lieutenant's name, and the order
"Recruit".

Hoods are usually recruited from
gyms or pool halls. There is no
overlay for these, so you need to
open the clipboard. This button for
this is halfway down the left
insert. Click on the businesses

The police can work both for and against you.

Special Advertising Section

PROFILE AND INTERVIEW ON • GANSTERS

REQUIREMENTS

may well become an every day affair

Buying Extra
Weapons

There are six weapon types
displayed on the right:

0^rvr' Twin pack pistols.

Tommy Gun.

^^rrr- nine.

Shotgun.

Pistol.

Explosives.

If you find that you require addi-
tional firearms or more explosives,
these must be purchased. Irt order
to purchase more weaponry; click
on the button at the bottom right.
This changes the right page into the
Black Market Screen, where you can
buy more weapons as you see fit,
The Black Market Screen contains
the six types of weaponry, on a
page tom out of a catalogue. To buy
a new firearm or bundle of explo-
sives, simply click on the weapon

type to be purchased. Clicking on a
weapon causes both the weapon
selected to be highlighted, and your
money clip to appear. The money
clip displays the cost of the
weapon, and the total amount of

which is always 50% of the price
you paid for it. Subsequent clicking
on the button, or the tick on the
money clip, causes one piece of the
selected weapon type to be sold
and removed from the displayed
lieutenant. The money is automati-
cally added from your balance.

Now you're armed and ready for
business, Lay low for the first cou-
ple of weeks and stake out your
turf but remember there's always
some punk hood who wants to
muscle in for a piece of your action.

Slew and methodical
Is the read paved
with gold.

When you first start your crime
syndicate, you should be slow and
careful in the crimes you plan. Any
arrests made by the police can
cripple you, forcing you into early
retirement. You should start off
with simple crimes with a low
arrest rate, like extortion. Don't go
for the bombings or assassinations
right off the bat. Although you
have the option of ordering a hit
on the Mayor of the city at the
beginning of the game, doing so is
a very bad idea. All It will do is
bring the Fed's attention to your-
self and allow your rivals to gain
an upper hand.

• 100% compatible
Windows 95 and DirectX
5.0 system

• Pentium 133 or
better

• 16MB RAM

• SVGA video card

• DirectX 5.0 (supplied)

• DirectX 5.0 compatible
sound card

• Mouse

Remember, the flashy and more
newsworthy the crime, the worse
off you are trying to pull it off
before your syndicate is off the
ground. Take it easy, Godfather,
good things come to those who
wait.

To sell weapons back, simply click
on the button alongside the
weapon type to be sold, which
appears underneath the lieutenant.
The money clip changes, to show
the resale cost of the weapon.

Special Advertising Section

Go to #149 @ vwvw.computergaming.com/lnfolink

If you are not careful, seeing one of your lieutenants face down In the street
may well become an every day affair

money you have. Subsequent click-
ing on the tick on the money dip
causes one piece of the selected
weapon type to be purchased and
given to the displayed lieutenant.
The money is automatically deduct-
ed from your balance.

Enter into a virtual world with o
5,000 cUlsens.

ADVERTORIAL

B RAVE H EART

The 3D combat world features skinned and boned characters with high polygon counts.

g^oZ/oin in the footsteps of Scottish
n hero William Wallace, taking on
\ the might of the English army to
gain your freedom! Braveheart combines
real-time MULTIPLAYER strategy
with global management in a brutal
reenactmen t of the war betiveen
sword-wielding Scottish clansmen
and expansionist English forces.

The English are unpredictable enemies
that are difficult to defeat.

The game is being developed
by Red Lemon Studios, a
Glasgow based company
which was formed early last
year by six ex-employees of
Gremlin Interactive. We
spoke with Alex Rutter,
Producer from Red Lemon to
get the latest on Braveheart.
Inspiration must be fairly

close at home for this
one, is this the game
you've always wanted
to do?

When we came up
with game concept
we hadn't settled
on 3 theme. Being
patriotic Scots
we ended up set-
ting the game in
13th Century
Scotland. That was
when the Braveheart
connection was made. The
movie stirs passion in all that
watched it. Developing this
game will hopefully give the player
an opportunity relive the movie and
change history.

The game divides into strategic
and action sections, what capa-
bilities do you have in each?

The general idea was to create an
environment where the player could
dictate his own destiny. So we cre-
ated a free-form game system limit-
ed only by the rules of the 13th
century. The strategic management
section drives the 3D-battle world.
It's the 2D strategic world, where
the player gets to devise his plans
for conquest. In the 3D world is
where he realistically plays them
out. So at a strategic level the play-
er can grow and fortify his bases
while building and strengthen his
armies. Political relations can be
forged or broken. Armies can be
commanded to glory or defeat. The
player then changes mode from
Clan chief to battlefield general as
he takes to the field. With our
battle engine you can control
single individuals or whole
armies in one mouse click.

diplomacy

affect play and how '^.' t
do you use them
to gain more support
for your clan?

Not all conquest is based on brute
force, sometimes a timely diplo-
matic envoy can appease a hostile
neighbor. Before crucial decisions
can be made spies must be dis-
patched to gather vital tactical
information about your neigh-
bors. Scouts can give the
play^eirftpry information
and discover rich land
resources, but spies must
be used to infiltrate
settlements to provide
vital information
regarding town defens-
es and supplies.

The strategic aspect
seems more involved
than the usual real
time strategy fare,
how do the dif-
ferent missions
like spying
and

How will combat
be conducted on
the battlefield, i.e.
how will you sub-
divide clansmen
into interesting

Special Advertising Section

unit types and what will their
abilities be?

The army structure is defined in the
2D strategic world that places
emphasis on knowledge of the
enemy that is being gathered before
the battle. The general structure is
simple an army Is divided into a
maximum of ten units, A unit is
basically a collection of similar
soldiers to a maximum of 50.
Tactical commands can be
issued to units, where strate-
gic commands are per-
formed by whole armies.
The player can issue basic

commands on any select-
ed characters.

How will the use of
formations affect combat.
Please give specific details of
the usefulness of a couple of
formations?

A good example of formation use
was shown in the movie where a
line of long spearsmen for all intent
and purposes nullified a charge of
cavalry. This will be fully supported
in the game. Some of the other for-
mations like wedge are good at
penetrating lines of defenders.
We've been given some direction
on this by Seoras Wallace of the
Clan Wallace Trust. Seoras is an
authority on Scottish Battle tactics.
He advised and directed the actors
in the movie. He also backs our
efforts.

The 3D-world camera is extremely versatile. Here is a zoomed viewof close combat in
the 13th century.

I understand that leaders are
very important in combat, and
towns in the strategic section.
What is their role in the game?

Leaders are basically your hero fig-
ures (William Wallace, Robert the
Bruce etc). You need
to have a leader to
send an army on a
mission. You also
need a leader to act
as a diplomatic
envoy in the case of
forming allegiances.

Leaders are strong
fighters in the com-
bat section and
sometimes used to
assassinate other
leader characters. If
a leader dies then he
is removed forever
from the game.

Leaders can be fickle
^aracters that
’Squire payment to
maintain their ser- Several types

vices. Only the most ^^iQiish come

powerful clans can attract
the best and loyal leaders.

What about multiplayer
modes?

Braveheart multiplayer will allow up
to 1 2 users to play via TCP/IP LAN
and WAN, IPX LAN, and on the
Mplayer gaming service. There will
be three modes to the multiplayer
game: Co-operative Campaign
against the Computer, Human vs.
Human Campaign, and Human vs.
Human field of Combat game.

also has a very in-depth resource
management system that can be
run on an automated setting for
the hack and slay purists. On the
battlefield all soldiers use a line of
sight system and cannot react to
combat situations with their knowl-

of castles are modeled and can be created or slei
calling.

edge and weapon skill. We are cur-
rently experimenting with an
evolved learning system that allows
computer controlled armies to react
to variance in the players tactics.
There will of course be general

rules for soldier types versus others
and the Al systems will take
account of these also.

Any bragging about the
power of the graphics engine?

Ok then. The 3D
engine uses actual
satellite data of
the whole of the
UK to fractally
generate a realistic
landscape. You can
walk across the
whole of Scotland
if you wish. All the
animations in
game have been
motion-captured to
add even more
realism. And the
high poly count
allows battle
scenes that rival
the movie in terms
of number of peo-
1 Here ihe ple. brutal realism

and frenetic
atmosphere.

Anything else?

It was a pretty influential film in
the movie industry, and hopefully
we can follow in its footsteps in
terms the games community.

Watch for
Braveheart
coming this
spring from

What are you planning in
terms of Al features?

There are sixty individual clans In
the game, all with their own objec-
tives and characteristics. The game

Choose your leader wisely lo lead your
clan to victory.

Eidos Interactive
and Red Lemon
Studios.

Special Advertising Section Goto#1S0 ® www.computergaming.com/lnfolink

ADVERTORIAL

is an amazingly detailed and
graphically intense 3D action
strategy game. The in-depth
gameplay
: features 400-t
|; technologies to
research,

2000 +

different units to design at
your own will, a fully rotatable
and zoomable 3D terrain, three
large campaign maps to
conquer, and 24 fast-play
mission maps for extra action.
Combine
these

features with
a fast-play
interface and
a wide variety of multiplayer
options and you've got one
hell of a game! This is true
strategy by design.

PROFILE ON • WARZONE 2100

STRATEGY BY DESIGN!

A technical error in the
satellite defense
system sent nuclear
warheads to
Washington, Beijing and
Moscow. Minutes later
ground based sites fired in
response to the launch.
Millions died as nuclear
firestorms wiped out the
world's cities. Billions more
died as plagues and
epidemics swept away what
remained of civilization.

Less than a million people survived
the collapse. Earth broke into
hundreds of small scavenger bands
battling each other for the
remnants of the former civilization.
Only a few had the vision to
attempt to rebuild a new world
from the ashes. What they didn't
know was the entity responsible for
the collapse was out there waiting

for them....

Upon entering the post-nuclear
world of Warzone 2100 you land
from your transport and establish
your base. Here you conduct
research, design and manufacture
vehicles, build new structures and
prepare your plans of global
conquest.

The action takes place over three
huge campaign maps consisting of
the Western Desert, Urban
Devastation, and the Rocky
Mountain Breakdown.

Each campaign features a large
campaign map and six or more
sub-maps. As key objectives are
reached on the campaign map,
missions are activated on the sub-
maps. These missions are very
varied from hit and run attacks to
building structures to hold territory.
The combat is fast and frantic with
amazing graphical effects. Weapons
range from bullets and lasers to
explosive weapons that blast large

areas of the highly detailed 3D
battlefield.

DESIGN YOUR
STRATEGY!

Vehicle design uses a simple mix
and match selection of vehicle
parts to create over 2000
different vehicle types. Players can
see the difference between vehicles
as they design them and can
experiment with different weapons,
propulsions and bodies. Creating
your own vehicles is key to your
overall strategy, following is profile
on each of the main vehicle types.

MEDIUM TANKS

As technology progresses new
bodies become available with
heavier armor and more efficient
weapon systems. This medium tank
is slower moving than the light
vehicles, but packs heavier
weapons and is more heavily
armored.

HEADY TANKS

Heavy tanks carry huge weapons
and are heavily armored. Expensive
in power costs, they are produced
slowly, but are hard to destroy.
Heavy tanks form the main part of
assault forces using their vast
weight to crush all opposition.

PROPULSION SYSTEMS

These systems are used to make
your forces as effective as possible.
Once researched, a propulsion
systems can be added to a unit
that meet their specific mission

Special Advertising Section

Go to #152 @ www.computergaming.com/infolmk

ADVERTORIAL

PROFILE ON • WARZONE 2100

needs. Coming in a wide variety of
styles and toughness, a commander
will never be at a loss when faced
with varying terrain. Correct
propulsion system choices are a
commanders key to winning a
battle. Some system examples are
Hover Jets, VTOL, and Wheels.

COMMANDERS

Commanders lead other vehicles in
battle. They are equipped with laser
designators which allow them to
nominate targets for an entire
group. Commanders form a key
part to the game.

SENSOR VEHICLES

These vehicles are equipped with
powerful sensors that allow them
to detect enemy units and

structures that are outside the
range of other vehicles.

JAMMER VEHICLES

Jammers block enemy sensors by
reducing their range and power.
They also make it harder for units
within their range to be hit.
Realistic line of sight hills and
structures conceal enemy units

while vehicles rely on sensors to
detect enemies. You'll have to be
sure to build radar towers
to sweep areas for enemies.

VTOL AnACK CRAFT

Units may be fitted with a variety
of propulsion systems. This VTOL

“THIS IS
TRUE
STRATEGY
RY DESIGN”

Attack Craft is ideal for strafing
enemy vehicles and flying close
escort for land based units.

• Multiplayer options include
2-8 Players

• Local Networks

• mplayer.com

• In Game Speech
Transmissions between
players

• Play campaign games or
fight in Death Match
battles

• Fully customizable
set-ups

• Select technology levels

• Set power levels

• Create and break
alliances

• Design your own custom
force

• Save out force rosters for
future battles

• League table showing
victories and losses

Category: Action/Strategy
Developer: Pumpkin Studios
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Release date: March 1999

www.eidosinteractive.com

Go to #152 @ www.computergaming.com/infoIink Special Advertising Section

Artificial intelligence in games
seems to on everyone's hotlisl
What are your thoughts on Al?

The Al is one of the most important
aspects of any game and in Warzone
2100, it was intended from the start of
development that the Al would be
robust, practical and sufficiently
advanced to allow us to realize a game
of Warzone's level of complexity. The
term 'Al' has recently became a buzz-
word of the game development commu-
nity, yet it is rather carelessly and
innapropriately used. Three of the pro-
grammers here have honors degrees in
Al, and this put us on a solid starting
point from which to build some gen-
uinely intelligent artificial behavior.

Could we have some examples of
some of the Al features in Warzone
2100 ?

Essentially, the basic Al that we started
with was the best of absolutely
everything that had ever been done
before in the older {2D} action strategy
game genre. From there, we went on to
add many more features, the majority of
which are unique to Warzone 2100 . For
example, friendly units have various
levels of Al that can be set by the player
using the command console. These
cover amongst other things:
engagement ranges, retreat levels and
attack priorities. These features are
coupled in the game with sophisticated
"commanders" which coordinate
attacks by their group. Commanders
also act as delivery points for factories
so that regardless of how frantic things
presently are, reinforcements arc always
sent to exactly where the action is.

What about enemy Al?

Enemy Al is even more advanced; enemy
scout groups assess the opposing threat
before engaging or calling up an attack
force. Enemy units break off from attack
and move to the rear lines for repair
and regrouping. Scout units can also call
in artillery and air strikes.

The enemy also actively seeks out
resources on the map and aggressively
defends them. Commanders arc used to
coordinate attacks between the
different arms of the enemy forces.

Additional features cover counter
battery fire units and VTOL (vertical
take off and landing) strike units which
can be set to fire on any enemy that
attacks their defensive zones. This
makes for speedy gameplay yet leaving
the player fully in control of the overall
tactical situation.

Alex McLean.

Head of Software Engineering.
Pumpkin Studios, EIDOS Interactive.

WARLORDS III; DARKLORDS RISING • REVIEW

It's Good to Be Bad

Master the Minions of Evil in This Poiished Gaming Legend

by Lance A. Larka

ere you one of last
year's hopelessly
addicted
WARLORDS III
fanatics? Did you
lose countless
nights of sleep as
you juggled supply
lines, razed castles, and built the
definitive, killer stack of units? If
you were, prepare to lose some
more sleep, If you weren't, well,
prepare to start losing sleep
because WARLORDS III: DARKLORDS
RISING is here, and it's bigger than
its predecessor in every way,
Gamers familiar with REIGN OF
HEROES will feel right at home —
not surprising considering the first
game is on the CD, Gameplay is
still turn-based and grounded in a

computer'' 1

GAMfl^

APPEAL Lovers
of deep, addictive
sbate^;

WARLORDS fans
who want to play
the bad guy.

PROS: Inaedible
replay value; pow-
erful game editor;
immersive campaigns; loads of new
units and abilities.

CONS: Badly written manual: loved
ones will miss you and wonder if you're
still alive.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Intermediate.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
75. Windows 95/98, 16MB RAM, 80MB
hard-drive space, 4x CD-ROM drive,
SVGA graphics, Sound Blaster-compati-
ble sound card, 28.8 modem for modem
or Internet play.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: Modem (2
players), Internet (2-4 players), LAN (2-8
players); 1 CD per 2 players.

3D SUPPORT: None.

Price:$39.95

Publisher: Red Orb tnieriain/nem
Novato, CA
(415) 382-4777

A MAP WITH EVERYTHING ON IT It's easy to cre-
ate your own maps, but you'll be hard-pressed
to come up with anything sillier than tills map.
which actually comes with the game.

rich fantasy setting. DARKLORDS
rising's main campaign picks up
where REIGN OF HEROES left off,
only this time you play the misun-
derstood and maligned Lord Bane.
There are four other campaigns to
immerse yourself in as well.

My, What Big
Units You Have

The most visible additions in
DARKLORDS RISING are the 31
additional army units, 5 new hero
classes, and 28 new spells and
abilities. You're also treated to
new game types and victory condi-
tions. For an especially entertaining

combination, try
playing "Battle
of the Titans"
with the
"Capture the
Flag" victory
condition. In this
variation, each
side gets a level
10 hero then
must get the
eight major
magical items
placed in the
game. The first
side that has a
hero holding all
eight items wins.
The catch is that
any hero holding
any of the items
has a nice flag
on the icon. Talk
about waving a
red flag in front of a bull.

There are other, invisible, but still
important, improvements over
REIGN OF HEROES, The Al has been
tweaked to provide a much tougher
computer opponent. Many times 1
watched stacks of powerful enemy
units slip through my carefully
guarded flanks and wreak havoc
on my cities. My heroes also drew
careful attention from the enemy,
especially when they were vulnera-
ble and not just accessible.

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
Controlling choke points on the
map is essential if you want to virin.

My, What Nice
Tools You Have

The interface in WARLORDS has
always been among the cleanest
and most user-friendly in the
genre, and DARKLORDS RISING isn't
going to buck the trend. Everything
is mouse-driven, easily accessed
from the main window or a pop-up
menu, and completely intuitive.

My one and only complaint about
it is the strategic map. The scroll-
worked border blocks a few pixels
of the map graphic and any towns
or ruins there.

The newest and best feature of
DARKLORDS RISING isn't a part of
the game proper — it's the fully
functional editor. The game comes
bundled with everything that you
need to design, build, and edit
maps, scenarios, and campaigns.
You can even edit the intro, victory,
defeat, and resignation texts. The
game had replay value before, but
now there's just no stopping it.

The manual does not meet the
standards of the rest of the game. It
has the look of an editor's copy,
with inaccurate references, lost sen-
tences, and what appear to be
comments to the staff for revision
or notation. To learn fully about the
game you would need to have the
manual from REIGN OF HEROES.
However, the appendixes are the
best I've seen when it comes to
explaining the combat sys-
tem, spell affects, and unit
statistics. They are an excel-
lent reference when you're
planning, playing, or building
a scenario.

DARKLORDS RISING Is a
great game and fun to play,
it has all the magic and
attraction of previous titles
in the series with the added
advantage of the engaging
campaigns, appealing sce-
narios, and wonderful editor.

Now.. .let's go hunt some
good guys.

v.computergaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

REVIEW • PEOPLE'S GENERAL

The People Deserve Better

Creativity Is Lacking in Great PEOPLE'S GENERAL Engine

by Tim Carter

apitalism. democracy,
freedom. . .Those oh-so-
intangible qualities that
have allowed the good
guys to triumph over
countless hoards of his-
torical and fictitious
automaton-like hoards. As
one of the good guys, your equip-
ment is good enough, but it's your
ingenuity — the product of a cen-
turies-old free society — that will
see you through.

It’s a pity, however, that the
challenges — and the very battle-
field on which you are expected to
triumph — appear to have been
created by, well, automatons. (Tftey
must be New Age Communists,
however, since they want your
money, too.)

PEOPLE'S GENERAL puts you in
charge of the combined Allied

computer' 1

APPEAL:

Something to do
while you wait
fo; Pan2er3D.

PROS: Nice
additions to a
great game sys-
tem; attractive
(in 16-bit color)
and fun at times.

CONS: Boring campaigns comprised of
boring scenarios.

DIFFICULTY: Easy.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Pentium
166, Windows 95/98, 32MB RAM, 60MB
hard-drive space, 8x CD-ROM, DirectX
compliant 2MB SVGA video card; sup-
ports DirectX-compliant sound cards.

3D SUPPORT: None.

MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT: LAN and
Internet (2-4 players), email (2 players);

1 CD per player.

Price; S59.9S
Publisher: SSI
Novato, CA
(800) 716-8503

(mostly American) or People's
Republic of China forces in a global
war circa 2008 that ranges from
Siberia to Southeast Asia and back
again. The game combines a
proven interface and game system
with the dullest set of battles since
Sir Douglas Haig decided to march
on Berlin six inches at a time.

New Model Army

As you'd expect, PEOPLE'S
GENERAL relies heavily on PANZER
GENERAL II, although the combina-
tion of significant game tweaks
and the distinct nature of 21 st cen-
tury warfare should keep gamers
from getting too severe a case of
sequetitis. Naval forces no longer

play a significant role in the game,
and amphibious assault scenarios
start with your troops already on
the beachhead.

Air support is handled in a
much more abstract manner. As a
local force commander, you are
allocated a particular amount of
air power that can be used for
ground support, reconnaissance,
antiair defense, and defensive
missions. You no longer control
individual air units, and the whole
idea of running out of ammo or
fuel has been removed.

On the other hand, your core
force will include helicopter units
that act much like Stukas. Air-
mobile units, new to this series,
come with
their own
helicopter
transport
and are
particularly
useful for
hopping long
distances or
dropping a
critical extra
unit into a
battle.

A few
other minor

changes also make PEOPLE'S
GENERAL more interesting than its
predecessors. For instance, you may
now purchase minor customiza-
tions for your units, beefing up
their abilities somewhat in particu-
lar areas. You can give some units
more and better ammo, while
improving others' movement and
antitank or antiaircraft firepower.
This is a nice touch because it
allows a creative commander the
chance to customize his force fur-
ther. As the essence of the entire
game system is getting the appro-
priate match-ups between your
units and the enemy's units, the
chance to tweak your forces, even
just slightly, adds a fun, new ele-
ment to the building process.

Unit leaders now play a some-
what more prominent role (there
are more of them), and you may
also curry favor with the High
Command by taking particular trig-
ger objectives or by winning more
prestige, leaders, air support, or
prototype units.

The Long Mis-Steppes

While there's no arguing with
the success or playability of this
game system, the campaigns in
PEOPLE'S GENERAL— some short,
others up to 1 8 missions — leave a
lot to be desired. Although the
names of the battles change, most
scenarios leave you feeling as
though you're retracing your steps.

The campaigns take you from
the Russian heartland to the jun-
gles of Vietnam, Malaysia, and
Thailand to the hills of Korea.

Oddly enough, the designers fash-
ioned a hypothetical war between
China and the rest of the world
that somehow didn't involve either
Taiwan or Japan, (And why, I'd like
to know, is a large U.S. army fight-
ing in Siberia?)

In fact, the entire package of
scenarios, taken as a whole,
demonstrates a pretty serious lack

BOMBS AWAY! From this air aliocation screen
generals can call down a quite limited number
of air strikes.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

v.computorgaming.c

PEOPLE'S GENERAL • REVIEW

of creativity. Despite a wide variety
in terrain and climate, you never
really have to adjust either your
force mix or your tactics. The full-
on armored assault that worked on
the plains of Siberia will also carry
you to Hanoi. I have the sneaking
suspicion that my tanks shouldn’t
be quite as mobile in dense jungle
as they are on the frozen steppe.

Many other countries provide
settings for the campaign, and the

U.S. is supposed to have all kinds
of allies in the hypothetical war, yet
your forces are pretty much all
American in their composition and
abilities. Sure, you can buy other
units for your core force (which
also doesn't make a hell of a lot of
sense), but you simply don't see
much of the UN-llke conglom-
eration that made the Korean War,
for example, so interesting.

Moreover, there isn't much dra-
matic tension in
the way the sce-
narios unfold.

The campaign is
quite linear, and
accumulating
more prestige
points seems to
be your only
reward for fin-
ishing quickly.
One of the
things that made
the original
PANZER GENERAL
so much fun was
the historical
payoffs that
came from
accomplishing
particular
scenario
objectives — like
the ability to
invade England
If you won a
decisive victory
at Dunkirk.

PROTOTYPE WHIRLYBIRD The Seminole attack
helicopter is a powerful weapon — if you win
enough battles to gain the right to fly h.

Building Better Battles

. ; ■ ; 'x-'i

’ I : J W

C' ^ -I- -

' ^ ; iiv.'... ,, ..

'Z# :

- ^ -

7 ' r

. i . i ^ ' Jd.

.. ..

' : I.. I \ ^ AeiI'IxK.

s with so many strategy

game (a quite exhaustive selec-

games these days.

tion] but also to the basic preset

PEOPLE'S GENERAL

unit and terrain characteristics.

comes complete with its own

Thus, you can't really create any-

scenario generator. Sadly, the

thing genuinely new.

scenario generation system is no

You do have significant con-

more creative than the cam-

trol over the type and composi-

paigns that come with the game.

tion of the opposing forces. ra

Because the maps for People's

Interestingly, the campaigns do S

General are hand painted, you

not take advantage of the 1

must choose from among the

diversity of the available S

limited number that come with

forces. Thus, the one attraction S

the game-which gets old pretty

of the scenario generator is f

fast. You do get some useful

that it gives you the ability to H

maps of South East Asia, which

field armies from, say, Germany ^

should allow creative gamers to

and England. As to why the 1

refight a few battles from the

British should be duking it out ^

Vietnam War if they so choose.

in Vladivostock in the first u

Also, you arc not only limited

place? Well, that's where your if

to the units provided by the

creativity comes in, isn't it? ^

JUGGERNAUT By the later scenarios, the U.S. Army becomes unstop*
pable. Here, the number of units barely fits on the map.

PANZER GENERAL II altered
the scale of the game to
such an extent that most
scenarios lost their you-con-
trol-the-whole-battle feel.

Yet, you still had the sense
that your success or failure
affected historical events
with which most gamers
would be familiar. And, given
that PEOPLE'S GENERAL
posits a hypothetical future
war, the designers have an
even greater burden to
develop a story that could
carry it's own weight-some-
thing they haven't managed
to pull off.

As with virtually all of
the GENERAL series, most

scenarios also put you in the role
of the attacker (unless you are in
a multiplayer game). This is per-
haps necessitated by the Al.
which is quite good at local coun-
terattacks but otherwise seems a
tad passive. Also, the Al doesn't
seem to use helicopters to maxi-
mum effect, and has a tendency
to leave artillery units in danger-
ous, unprotected situations.

In PEOPLE'S GENERAL, SSI has
delivered yet another great game
system. Unfortunately, they haven’t
quite delivered the game itself
Mind you, if they were to release a
scenario pack sometime in the
future that compensated for the
weak campaigns, I'd be the first to
go out and buy it.

/.computefgaming.c

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

REVIEWS

Emei^ency Tactics

Fight Fires and Just Plain Fight in These Strategy Titles

from a simple traffic accident
to a nuclear power plant
meltdown. You dispatch the vehi-
cles {fire trucks, ambulances, cop
cars, rescue helicopters) and the
staff (firemen, medics, stretcher-
bearers). Once they reach the
scene, you decide what they do. Do
you start by fighting the fire or
tending to the wounded? Does one
fireman or two search for victims?
As in real-life, if you make the
wrong decision, people die.

After a few missions, the compli-
cated controls become intu-
itive, (Although the human
figures are small enough that
you sometimes lose precious
seconds trying to position
your cursor so you can select
the one you want.) After
some simple tutorial scenar-
ios, the missions get nicely
complicated: lots of people
scurrying about, lots to be
done, and a ticking clock counting
down the seconds to disaster.

EMERGENCY surprised me with
its sense of true urgency, reinforced
by the terrific animations that
introduce most of the scenarios. It's
also more of a puzzle game (but a
good puzzle game) than a strategy
game, asking you to rethink and
replay each scenario until you
achieve a performance rating of
1 00 percent. With better controls,
EMERGENCY would come closer to

Emergency:
Fighters for Life

☆

Publisher: WizardWorks
Price: $19.99
www.wizworks.com

We're all familiar with disaster
footage from the nightly news: air-
plane crashes, terrorist bombings,
10-car pile-ups, and five-alarm
fires. The typical visual Is of a

grime-streaked rescue worker hold-
ing the bloody, unconscious form of
some fortunate soul saved from
the wreckage.

For those of us who never out-
grew our childhood dream of being
the fireman carrying that baby out
of the burning building, Wizard-
Works' EMERGENCY: FIGHTERS FOR
LIFE provides a most satisfying jolt.

EMERGENCY puts you in com-
mand of a rescue team that has to
respond to 30 scenarios, ranging

achieving a 100 percent rating
itself. — Charles Ardai

and handle battles. If you get
stuck, hints are available in the
manual for each mission. The mis-
sions are all well done — and are
not that easy — but with a game
that's been out this long, is a tuto-
rial really needed? Newbie strat-
egy gamers aren't likely to spend
$40 on a game and another $20
on an add-on disc just to get start-
ed — this title would have made
more sense had it been bundled
with the executable and released
as a full-fledged beginner's edition.

Still, even veteran TA players
will find some value here. The 100
missions are divided
into four types; very
short, short, medi-
um, and long. The
very short and short
missions — still chal-
lenging despite their
brevity — range from
5-20 minutes in
length and are great
for those moments
when you only have
time for a quick gaming break. If
you've ever told your spouse
"Honey, I'll be coming to bed in
just a moment, as soon as I finish
this game" oniy to suffer the con-
sequences of getting tied up in a
two-hour melee, you'll appreciate
them. — Denny Atkin

Total Annihilation:

Battle Tactics

vV -Tt 'A- ’

Publisher: Cavedog
Price: $19.99

www.totalannihilatioit.com
TOTAL ANNIHILATION: BATTLE
TACTICS is sort of like a sex manual
aimed at Madonna — it's very inter-
esting, and chock full of entertain-
ing and useful stuff. But. . .isn't the

target market a bit too experienced
to need it at this point?

This disc includes a set of 100
new missions for TA that act as an
interactive primer for the new
player, teaching newbie strategy
gamers how best to allocate
resources, take advantage of units,

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

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REVIEWS

A Classic Sampling

Classics and Puzzle Reviews at a Glance

Looney Tunes Cosmic
Capers Animated
Jigsaws

A ☆ A -A: -A

Publisher: SouthPeak Interactive
Price: $29.99

vvww.southpeak.com

R egular jigsaw puzzles can be
fun, but they have nasty
downsides, such as pieces
that get lost and the way they take
up valuable floor- or table space.
SouthPeak's LOONEY TUNES COSMIC
CAPERS ANIMATED JIGSAWS has no
such faults. Even better, it offers
over 20 different puzzles featuring
Marvin Martian, Daffy Duck, and
Bugs Bunny. And, as a reward for
completing a puzzle, you're treated
to a video clip of a Looney Tunes
cartoon — a real pleasure for kids
of any age who enjoy Chuck Jones’
zany artistry.

Each puzzle in COSMIC CAPERS
can be solved at five different diffi-
culty levels. The easiest level is
great for young children while the
hardest will appeal most to puzzle
fanatics. The interface can be
switched between kid-friendly and
adult as well, though I have to
admit I liked the "juvenile" inter-
face better. There are plenty of help
features, and being able to save
during a very tough puzzle is a nice
touch. You can even print out com-
pleted puzzles.

The biggest problems with
COSMIC CAPERS are that there

aren't enough
puzzle pictures
and that the video
clips are often too
short: "It's dith-
picable," as Daffy
Duck would say.
Also, nothing
beats the hands-
on experience of
completing a jig-
saw puzzle, the
joy of admiring the completed
project for a while, or the oppor-
tunity it affords for people to do
something mildly constructive
together while they chat. Even so,
this is a great game for kids, and
you won't have to hunt for lost
pieces. — Petra Schlunk

Notyet

■A-AAAA

Publisher: MVP Software, Inc
Price: $19,95
wvtfw.mvpsoft.com

F or a small independent pub-
lisher, MVP software has had
its share of modest hits, such

as 1994's MVP BRIDGE. MVP's lat-
est, NOTYET {developed by Grog
Productions) revels in being retro.
It's an almost totally non-glitzy,
though at times colorful, DOS
game that applies ASTEROIDS-style
gameplay to a Chinese puzzle set-
ting. Basically, you operate a tri-
angular gun that rotates and fires
on various elements moving in
concentric orbits around the gun.
The object is to bump trigrams —
rectangular objects — Into new

orbits so that identical trigrams can
pair up in neighboring orbits.

Paired trigrams disappear, provid-
ing extra energy for firing the gun.
When all matchable trigrams are
gone, you warp into the next round
of play. The game ends when your
gun runs out of energy,

NOTYET tries to keep things
interesting by incorporating addi-
tional orbiting objects: Objects that
destroy trigrams (leeching energy
from your gun), change orbits'
directions, teleport items, and
more. Elements vary in the game's
different levels and mastering any
of these levels can be challenging,
although the game's overall diffi-
culty level Is adjustable.

Aside from the dated graphics,
NOTYET doesn't offer much that's
new, and it's hard to imagine
action-oriented puzzle gamers find-
ing sustained amusement here. Our
advice is to dust off your old copy
of BAKU-BAKU, or if you want to
support MVP, download RINGS OF
THE MAGI, which won CGW'% best
Shareware Puzzle Game award for
1996. — Petra Schlunk

Play This Play That
■AAA A A

Publisher: Patch Products, Inc.

Price: $19.99

www.patchproducts.com

E verything old isn't exactly
new again, but it's certainly
packaged that way. PLAY THIS

PLAY THAT features a mix of puz-
zles, classic, arcade, and even
sports titles that we've seen before,
some of which fare better than
others when viewed with today's
more jaded eyes.

Odd Man Out is a computerized
version of the peg jumping game
you play country-style restaurants.
Once you get the formula down,
it's best forgotten, as is Walk the
Plank, a graphical takeoff on
Hangman. Memory Madness lares
somewhat better, if only because
it's replayable. Saloon Shoot Out!
delivers just what it promises; a
limited, if cute, shooter very com-
mon in the C-64 days.

Skeet Shooter \s a nice little
game that lets you shoot clay
pigeons from the sky in timed,
championship or 25-shot modes.
Given that you can fire a .22 cal-
iber rifle or a 12- or 20-gauge
shotgun solo or against three
fellow marksman via hotseat,
there's plenty to do here — though
this game isn't quite up to the
standard set by WizardWorks'
SPORTING CLAYS.

Air Hockey, however, is a real
gem, the best version of this classic
game since the heyday of the
Amiga. The gliding of the puck
across the "air cushion" is really
captured nicely, and the best of the
computer opponents are evil wrist
action incarnate. For around 20
bucks, you could do worse than
PLAY THIS PLAY THAT on your Mac
PC. — Terry Coleman

tf.computergaminj’.(

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

STRATEGY • CHEATS • WALKTHROUGHS

Might & Magic VI

CGWs Resident Mage Reaches Into Her Bag of Tricks for Some M&M Treats

by Scorpia

M &m VI: mandate of
HEAVEN can be a diffi-
cult game, especially
toward the beginning.
The reduced party size
and emphasis on skills
make for a pretty big
learning curve, and it's
difficult to figure out the best ways
to fight the opposition. There is
hope, however; Getting off to a
good start with a well-balanced
party can go a long way toward
reducing early frustration.

Knights in
White.. .Whatever

My own experience is that
knights, even at high levels and
after several promotions, didn't
fight that much better than any-
one else. Likewise, clerics have, at
best, weak offensive spells (until
supplemented with Light and/or
Dark magic). So, when tailoring
my group the second time
around, I dumped the knight in
favor of a second archer, and
dumped the cleric for a druid.

Overall, the best party turned
out to be an archer, a druid, and
two sorcerers. This lineup gives
you four characters with elemen-
tal spells, and at the higher
experience levels, archers have a
respectable number of spell
points. Even early on in the game,
an extra fireball or meteor shower
can be a great help. Furthermore,
archers come with the Bow skill,
which is tremendously helpful for
much of the game. I also like to
bring my archers up to speed in
the Spear skill, which conveniently
includes tridents and halberds.

See the Review

AUGUST ISSUE • 4.5 STARS

Don't Dread Druids

Druids need to be built up care-
fully: you don't want to squander
precious skill points, particularly at
the start, I prefer to bring my druid
quickly to expert level in Spirit (for
the partywide Bless and Heroism
spells), Body (for the healing), and
Fire, which is the workhorse offen-
sive group most of the time.

Afterward, you can decide where
your druid's studies should be con-
centrated: One good method is to
increase proficiency in complement
to the sorcerer, with the druid
working on, say, Earth and Fire
while the sorcerer does Air and
Water. This approach quickly gives
you power in all four magical ele-
ments. Of course, the cleric skills
shouldn't be neglected. I generally
increase Spirit and Body to master

levels and leave Mind for later
(though one should have Mind at
least to expert level before too late
in the game).

I always aim for Water Master
with a sorcerer as quickly as possi-
ble. Life is much easier when you
have both Lloyd's Beacon lasting
for weeks and full control over
Town Portal. This typically means
bringing the sorcerer to Fire Expert
first, then leaving that off to work
on Water. Once mastery has been
achieved in these skills, I turn back
to the others.

Do You Feel Lucky, Elf?

During the point-allocation
phase when creating your party,
take two points off Luck for each
character you can. This gives extra
points for other stats, and everyone

can drink twice from the Luck well
in New Sorpigal to restore the lost
points — just make sure to go
straight to the well right after the
game begins.

One way to get off to a good
start is to show the letter to
Andover and collect your money.
Then, drink from the Luck well. Get
the horseshoes from the stable, go
to Castle Ironfist, and grab the
horseshoes from the castle's stable
as well. Run up the mountain, stay-
ing well to the right. See Lord
Humphrey. See Lord Humphrey give
you 5,000 gold and tons of experi-
ence. See your party training. Train,
train, train.

After your party has gained two
levels, go back down the mountain
and see Andrew (near the stable);
buy Berserkers Fury membership.

.COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

Go to the guild, purchase the Bow skill for
everyone who needs it, and buy bows at Eagle
Eye. Return to New Sorpigal via stable. Be a big
spender; go around and buy guild memberships
in all the guilds. Visit Blades End and get a Hand
Weapon skill for archers.

After Dark Plot Savers

Wait until 6 p.m., then enter Buccaneer's
Den and buy Disarm, Merchant, and Item ID,
giving each skill to a different party member.
Sack out at the inn (you deserve it). The next
day, train your characters up to level three.
Bring the Item ID skill up to four, then see the
expert trainer over the inn. Give the four horse-
shoes to your ID expert to replace the points
he or she just spent. You now have a bona fide
level-three party that is capable of fighting in
close or from a distance, as well as enough
points to bring one skill apiece to expert
level and the ability to identify a good 80-90

: Outdoor Sunduat

O utdoor fighting will be a pain until you reach Free Haven, where the top-level
spells, such as Meteor Shower, are available. Meteor Shower and Starburst will
make your life easier in the wilderness areas. Until then, always advance slowly
In the outdoors (unless you have to run), and be certain Vizard Eye is up and running all
the time.

Always take on monsters in small numbers, indoors or out Even weak critters can be
trouble when there are many of them, and there usually are. The basic rule to remember is
TAM: There's Always More. Running blindly around the countryside, or stepping blithely
into an apparently empty room can get you killed very quickly.

In dungeons, if nothing shows up immediately when a door is opened, move around a
little; sidestep, or edge up one side or the other of the doorway, slowly. Often, you can get
a good enough w'ew to plink one monster with arrows and draw it out thereby fighting
the opposition one at a time. For weak monsters, ifs best to draw out a bunch, and rip off
a few Infernos to dispose of them quickly.

Once you have Lloyd's Beacon, keep a beacon in New Sorpigal, and drop another in
whatever dungeon you're exploring. Anytime the party is in bad shape, pop back to
Sorpigal. Basic healing costs only 10 gold per character (more if you're insane or dis-
eased), and it restores spelipoints as well as hit-points — a very inexpensive way to get

percent of the items you find (which
can net you some real savings).

from this point on, your merchant
should do all transactions, including
buying spells, paying for rides via ship
or stable, buying and selling items,
staying at an inn, etc. Later in the
game, you obtain Merchant skill for
the rest of the party, as it will make
training costs much cheaper (those
high-ievel training sessions really eat
up the cash).

Once New Sorpigal is cleaned up,
Mist is a good next stop. The
Followers of Baa and friends are easy
kills, and you can pick up some
decent spells at the guilds. The Silver

DAYCUBEThis New World Dungeon offers
you not only puns, but a Day of the Gods
spell as well.

Helm Outpost, however, is a tough place, and
best left for a time when your group is more
experienced.

After Mist, Castle Ironfist is the place to go.
The game will turn tough here, especially in the
dungeons. The Shadow Guild is the easiest of
the bunch, so you may want to start with that
one. If you're having a lot of trouble in the dun-
geons, you can take time off to clean up the
outdoors for extra experience, or even go up to
Bootleg Bay to beat on the cannibals and lizard-
men there.

Magic Booster Shots

Booster spells such as Bless, Heroism, Day
of the Gods, and so forth are a great help in
combat. Get them early and use them often.

Stone Skin, especially at high lev-
els, is also good.

Turn-based mode is good for
fighting, but you can also travel,
enter/exit dungeons, and open
doors in turn mode. Always go to
turn mode when entering a new
dungeon, as some of them have
unsavory welcoming committees
right on the other side of the door.
Room doors in dungeons are usually
best opened the same way.

Quests have no time limit. The
giver will wait patiently until when-
ever you get around to accomplish-
ing the task. If a mission is too
tough, leave it for later and go do
something else.

SHRINE OF THE GODS In Dragonsand, touch
the shrine for the magical equivalent of JoK
cola, then dick on the inner walls.

fixed up without needing a lot of rest. When you can control the Town Portal, use tiiat
to visit Sorpigal instead of the beacon.

Good Egg
Hunting

OSaiSK, MY OBEUSK These point the way to
an optional— but very nice— treasure. How-
ever, you must touch each and every one of
the 15 obelisks for the treasure to be active.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998,

MIGHT & MAGIC VI

WHO NEEDS KNIGHTS? Merlin the Arch-Mage is Hell on wheels
with spells and daggers. If he doesn't fry you to a grease spot
he'll turn you into sushi.

Training takes the same amount
of time whether you're training
one person or four, 1 level or 1 0
levels. It's therefore best to bring
everyone up together, and to com-
plete a dungeon (or dungeon and
quest) before training. 8y going up
several levels at once, you have
more skill points to allocate, and
this becomes important later on,
when skills need a lot of points
to advance.

Items for sale in the shops and
guilds are chosen at random the
first time you walk through the
door. Especially for spells, save
before entering a guild the first
time. If you don't like the selec-
tion, exit, restore, and try again.
Note, though, that not all guilds
have all spells. You'll never get
Incinerate or Fly in New Sorpigal;
only the high-level guilds have
high-level stuff.

If your reputation has taken a
nose-dive because of something
you did (even unknowingly), you
can fix that by making donations
at temples. Shrines that boost
stats work only in one particular
month. You must ask the Seer
about "pilgrimage" each month —
even if you asked him about a
shrine previously — and then go
touch the shrine to receive the
boost (it helps to know where the
shrine is, of course!).

The traveling circus shows up
three times a year only, in the fol-
lowing places: Blackshire in April,
Darkmoor in July, and Bootleg Bay

in December. The circus has six
games, which give you the chance
to win golden pyramids or kegs of
wine. These can be traded at
Abdul's Desert Resort in Dragon-
sand for various random items, or
sold for cash to various people in
Free Haven.

At the Shrine of the Gods in
Dragonsand, each person must
toucli the shrine to receive the
+20 (permanent) boost to stats
and resistance. There is also an
Easter egg here; After touching
the shrine, click on the inner walls
to visit a very special dungeon —
keep an eye out for the cube that
grants a Day of the Gods spell at
+256 to the seven stats. Until
next time, happy
adventuring! 0317

Internet: www.scorpia.com
Email: scorpia@scorpia.com
US Mail: Scorpia, PO Box
338, Grade Station, New York,
NY 10028.

(Enclose a self-addressed,
stamped envelope if you live
in the U.S.)

f you're just starting out in M8iM VI, it's tempting to investigate
first and lick your wounds later. Here are a few of our (east
favorite things. Avoid them.

LAIR OF THE WOLF
This dungeon entry
spot isn't a nice place
to visit, and you really
wouldn't want to die
here. -

STONE GARGOYLE As
seen from its stingy
hit point bar, these
weaklings are more
annoying than dan-
gerous.

DIAMOND GARGOYLE
This critter, on the
other hand, boasts
about the length of
his bar constantly
(must be a male).

MINOTAUR Don't try
to be Theseus-~steer
clear of these wher-
ever possible.

DRAGONSAND Aptly
named, with lots of
dragons around. The
upper right map shows
locations (red dots) of
all dragons nearby, and
as usual, they are much
too dose for comfort

COLOSSAL HYDRA I
hate snakes (in this
game, anyway). You
should, too.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1996

Looking for an easier way
to find a high tech job?

Let DICE do it for you.

JobTools by DICE.

www.dice.com

Go to #159 @ www.computergaming.com/infolink

People's General

Projecting Power in the 2 1st Century

by Marc Dultz

fi amers will readily dis-
cover that PEOPLE’S
GENERAL portrays war-
fare in a totally different
light than does its pre-
decessor, PANZER
GENERAL II. PEOPLE'S
GENERAL demonstrates
the profound technological
advances that have emerged since
the close of WWII. Fire-and-forget
missiles and lethal weaponry capa-
ble of being transported by one
man are now commonplace on the
battlefield, and they are designed
to destroy a target from several
miles away. What's more, the
advent of both the transport- and
scout/attack helicopters and the
development of jet-powered,
ground-attack aircraft have added
an entirely new dimension to the
modern battlefield. All that gives
today's commanders much more
flexibility and destructive capability
than their WWII counterparts could
ever have hoped to possess.

Knowing how these complex
systems operate on today's battle-
field will certainly help to further

See the Review

THIS ISSUE • 3 STARS

STUCK ON YOU Attachments are worth their weight in golden
prestige points.

conduct

reconnais-

sance

missions

insertion
in order
to locate
good drop
zones.

against a helh
copter can
force rt to flee
from tile map,
rmdering it
totally inef*
fectiveforthe
duration of
the turn.
Whenever
possible, you
should always
reconnoHer
an area first

before dispatching a helicopter, moving in an air defense unit to
help protect the helicopter against enemy air-to-air fire.

Helicopter troop ships should be used to transport air-
liftable units from rear area assembly points to forward air
bases, particularly when the terrain is poor and ground move-
ment for other units is proceeding at a sluggish pace. Transport
helicopters should also be used to drop air-mobile units deep
behind enemy lines, seizing victory objectives or holding open
critical road junctures until reinforcements can arrive. Ught
infantry units are particularly good at conducting air-mobile
operations because they can load, fly, unload, move up to their
full movement allowance, and even finally initiate an attack all
on the same turn. Be advised, though, that air-mobile units
cannot land in an enemy zone of control, so it's important tiiat

Helicopter Heaven

T he naive wew of attack helicopters is that they are flying
tanks. In reality, choppers have some limitations, such as
being forced to immediately end their movement phase if
they fly witiiin range of an enemy air defense unit What's more,

defensive air

your understanding of modern mil-
itary strategy and tactics. More-
over, learning how these systems
are employed In PEOPLE'S GENERAL
will not only guarantee victory on
the virtual battlefield, but also
ensure success on the treacherous
campaign trail.

Combined Arms

First popularized by the
blitzkrieg strategy of the
We/rrmac/jf during the opening
stages of WWII, the combined arms
concept — which entails
having all available
artillery, infantry,
armored fighting vehi-
cles (AFVs) and tactical
airpower work in con-
cert to achieve a com-
mon objective — is even
more important on
today's battlefield. In
PEOPLE'S GENERAL, every
type of unit, whether an
attack helicopter or a
self-propelled artillery
battery, possesses different
strengths and weaknesses, making
each adept at certain tasks, yet ill-
suited for others.

For instance, armored fighting
vehicles (AFVs), which include
tanks and armored troop carriers,

are generally much more effective
if employed against artillery, air
defense units, and soft targets —
such as infantry and combat sup-
port units — especially if these can
be engaged on clear terrain.
However, AFVs are generally

incapable of eliminating
entrenched enemy infantry units
hunkered down in cities, rough ter-
rain, and forest hexes, and must
rely upon other supporting arms to
soften up these positions before
they attack.

Ik COMPUTEf^ GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

PEOPLE'S GENERAL

The development of smart
bombs, sub-munitions, low-flying
weapons platforms, and reconnais-
sance drones has made the mod-
ern battlefield a much more lethal
environment to operate within
than that ofWWII, even for heavily
armored forces. Although AFVs are
still considered to be the king of
the battlefield, they’re nevertheless
quite vulnerable to helicopter
attacks, air strikes, and antitank
weapons. Unless accompanied by
strong air defense and rapidly
advancing infantry forces, even the
best AFVs can be pommeled and
destroyed in rather methodical
fashion. Your goal is to requisition,
field, and maintain as wide an
array of forces as possible — one
that will immediately be able to
overcome any type of threat.

While it certainly helps to have a
plentiful supply of cheap units at
the ready, in reality it is advanta-
geous to have only a few battle-
hardened units on hand rather
than hordes of inexperienced units.
Although veteran and elite units
cost more to purchase than inexpe-
rienced units (units typically cost
30 prestige points per experience
level), they also sustain far fewer
casualties in battle and inflict far
greater losses upon the enemy.
What's more, veteran and elite
units can also be pumped up to
higher than normal strength levels
between scenarios, thereby
increasing their staying power on
the battlefield and improving their
combat effectiveness. Finally, veter-
an and elite units can receive

replacements several times during
a scenario before their combat
strength begins to show signs of
eroding, an important point to
remember because of the manner
in which replacements are now
treated in PEOPLE'S GENERAL.

A Matter of Prestige

During a battle, prestige is no
longer used to purchase replace-
ments for weakened units. In fact,
replacements are free — any friend-
ly unit can receive replacements so
long as the unit isn't located
adjacent to an enemy unit. The
problem, however, is that whenev-
er a unit receives replacements
during a scenario, its overall
strength is diminished (it's reduced
by one strength point every time
you attempt to bring the unit back

SUPPOItT CHAIN Forced to begin the scenario
at the only available supply hex. this combat
support unit isn't all that beneficial. After it
moves, you can then purchase, deploy, and
move another CSU. Note how a chain of CSUs
can be created in order to place fresh units
nearer the front

moment they are purchased. Even
though attachments increase the
purchase price of a new unit (30
prestige points per attachment for
the Western side, 50 per attach-
ment for the Chinese), they are
nevertheless very important assets
to have on hand, especially for
armored, artillery, and over-
strength units. For instance, an AFV
equipped with a bridging capability
no longer has to rely upon an engi-
neer unit to help it ford a river. In a
similar manner, reconnaissance
attachments not only improve the

Air Supremacy

A ir superiority and vertical envelop-
ment are of paramount importance in
PEOPLE'S GENERAL. A player's level of
air superiority will not only determine how
many air missions he will be permitted to fly
during any given scenario but it will also
affect his aircraft's range and capabilities.

Whenever the air superiority level Is low,
all friendly helicopter movement is severely
curtailed, reducing their range, airlift capa-
bility and combat effectiveness. By the same
token, a low air-superiority level will reduce
the range of friendly fixed-wing aircraft,
making them far less effective in both the
reconnaissance and air-strike roles. Despite
the relatively high cost, you should always
adjust your air superiority level to 100 per-
cent, spending as many prestige points as it
takes to ensure air supremacy and complete
freedom of movement.

Once air superiority has been established,
airpower should be used to; (1) help you
locate and ascertain the enemy's disposi-
tions and strength; (2) destroy high value
enemy units, such as artillery and combat
support units; (3) suppress enemy air defens-
es; and (4) ward off any enemy attack heli-
copters. Resist the temptation to spend all
of your prestige points on air missions at the
first sign of trouble, instead, spend your
points in small increments, making sure to
always keep enough prestige points on hand
to call In any type of air mission, even dur-
ing the latter stages of a scenario.

Attack helicopters are especially good at
softening up enemy positions, especially
armored concentrations, before a ground
assault is undertaken. Attack choppers
should also be used to destroy any enemy
units that may be situated outside the com-
bat range of friendly ground forces. Lastly,
attack choppers are good at protecting open
flanks, and they are generally able to blunt
or slow an enemy drive until friendly ground
forces can be brought up.

up to full strength). Therefore,
unless the unit is very experienced,
it probably makes more sense to
temporarily withdraw those units
that have received numerous
replacements during the later
stages of a scenario, taking them
off the front lines to guard a CSU
or some other supporting arm.

Another principal difference
between PANZER GENERAL 11 and
PEOPLE'S GENERAL has to do with
the concept of attachments.
Attachments give a unit special
abilities above and beyond its nor-
mal capabilities.

In fact, new
units may be
augmented by
as many as two
supporting
attachments the

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD

DECEMBER 1998.

PEOPLE'S GENERAL

IRON CURTAIN It appears as if this Chinese combat group is in full view of tiie nearby Russian
forces, but the recon unit is screening their advance.

spotting capability of the AFV but
also serve to reduce its profile,
making it much harder for enemy
units to spot it.

Generally, Infantry-type units
should be allotted a forward
observer attachment, since this
will allow them to call in much
more accurate artillery fire against
adjacent enemy units. Combat
engineer attachments would be an
equally wise choice, since this will
make it much easier for the unit to
stave off a close assault. By the

same token, infantry units, rein-
forced with combat engineers,
make ideal candidates to root out
entrenched enemy infantry units
that may be guarding key victory
objectives.

Reconnaissance units, charged
with scouting ahead of the main
body, should be provided with
both air defense and antitank
attachments to bolster their
defensive capabilities should they
run into unexpected resistance.
And, because they can quickly

deplete their stocks of ammuni-
tion, artillery units should be
assigned both special munitions
and combat support attachments.
The combat support attachment
will permit the artillery unit to
fire off more shells before requir-
ing resupply, while the special
munitions attachment will
improve the artillery's hard and
soft attack ratings, making them
much more effective in both
the supporting fire and counter-
battery roles.

Finally, it makes sense to add a
combat support attachment to
either overstrength units or units
containing a leader. The combat
support attachment will not only
let the unit recover all of its origi-
nal overstrength level during the
replacement phase but also
negate the effect of diminishing
replacements. In effect, these pow-
erful units will stay strong for the
duration of the scenario, which in
turn means they'll probably accu-
mulate even more experience
points as the battle wears on.

Force Multipliers

Tlie combat support unit (CSU)
is perhaps the most important unit
in your arsenal, serving, for all
intents and purposes, as a mobile
reinforcement center. Now, instead
of having to deploy units at distant
supply hexes far removed from the
Forward Edge of the Battlefield
Area (FEBA), you can put new units
into play in the hexes surrounding
a CSU, so long as the CSU isn't
adjacent to an enemy unit.

Interestingly, additional CSUs
can be purchased, deployed, and
moved all in the same turn, in
much the same manner as regular
combat units. Theoretically then, a
player can create a continuous
chain of CSUs, placing new CSUs
and fresh units closer to the front
lines, where they're obviously
needed most.

Building, then moving, multiple
CSUs closer to the FEBA becomes

Order of Battle

K nowing how. when,
and where to commit
your forces to battle
is certainly one of the most
fundamental concepts oper-
ating in PEOPLE'S GENERAL.
Unless the enemy's disposi-
tions and strength have
already been determined,
it's always a good idea to
scout out the terrain situat-
ed along the axis of
advance, thereby avoiding
any traps or nasty surprises
that may be lying in wait.

r hile aerial reconnaissance is Ideal, over-
flights will also cost you valuable air mission

B ecause tiie spotting rules have been
changed significantly since Panzer

points eadi time you execute them. Aerial recon- GENERAL II, you should use your reconnais-

naissance should instead be used to reconnoiter
the enemy's rear areas, searching for potential
drop sites for your air-mobile forces.

sance vehicles to locate and ascertain the
strength of the enemy forces before initiating
any otiier movement or attacks.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER 1998

PEOPLE'S GENERAL

a very effective means of seizing a vital objec-
tive toward the end of a scenario, especially if
a player may not have enough units on the
map to get the job done under the prescribed
time limit.

Reconnaissance units are equally important
units to have on hand. First off, they're capable
of spotting enemy units your main force may
not be able to observe. More importantly, how-
ever, reconnaissance units act as a screen for
other friendly units operating nearby. So, while
the enemy may be able to see a recon unit
operating within range of his forces, he may
have no idea that other enemy units are, in

fact, dose by, hidden from view by the recon
unit. It should, however, be pointed out that
the further a friendly unit is from the recon
unit, the more likely it will be spotted by
enemy units.

One last point: While it may seem as if your
forces are firing blindly at unknown or spotted
enemy units, you can determine the amount of
damage your troops are inflicting simply by
watching the upper information bar. The
results for each attack will be posted in the
upper right-hand corner, which will give you
some indication as to whether or not your
attack has succeeded.

R emember tiiat reconnaissance vehi-
cles can conduct staggered move-
ment each turn, moving, locating, and
identifying enemy formations, then with-
drawing before they themselves are
spotted and subjected to enemy fire.

O nce the enemy's positions have been
ascertained, artillery should be
brought to bear to soften up the enemy's
defenses. Plan on eliminating the enemy's
air defenses first, since this will let your
attack helicopters swoop in to provide
standoff fire against the enemy's artillery
and armor. You can also laundi a couple of
air strikes to pummel enemy artillery bat-
teries, troop concentrations, and units
guarding nearby victory objectives. Don't
forget that air strikes and artillery missions
reduce the enemy's entrendiment level by
one each time they're employed. Next, have
your antitank units move up to within fir-
ing range of the enem/s armored units.

Ideally, these units should fire from
extreme range (typically two hexes) in
order to avoid enemy return fire.

N ow it's time for your own armor to
roll up and eliminate any remaining
armored units. In some instances, it may
be better to use ranged fire (two or
more hexes away) against file enemy
rather than initiate a close assault Also
take this opportunity to overrun any
enemy infanfry units that may be
deployed in clear terrain. If the opportu-
nity presents itself, engage weaker
enemy infantry units first since your
tanks may be able to move and fire a
second time against nearby enemy units.
Finally, have your infantry units, includ-
ing the engineers, move up, eliminating

any remaining pockets of resistance.
Bear in mind that light infantry units will
ignore an enemy unifs zone of control
while engineer units will ignore an
enemy unifs entrenchment level during
an attack.

GRUNTS GET THE DIRTY WORK After armor has cleared the open ground, infantry,
backed up by artillery, begins the arduous process of rooting out this city's defenders.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998,

Panzer Commander

Winning on a Tread and a Prayer

by Patrick C. Miller

M ost tank simulations
from Ml TANK
PLATOON onward put
gamers in the role of
task force commander,
giving them the ability
not only to fight from
within a tank, but also
to issue orders to supporting air,
tank, infantry, artillery, and antitank
units, In these games, it's possible
to win with little or no involvement
in combat from the first-person
perspeaive.

Not so in SSI's PANZER COM-
MANDER. As the leader of a WWII
tank platoon, you can't depend on
friendly support units to carry the
battle. If you die, the battle is over.
How you handle your platoon and
fight from your tank are the most

over to their virtual
crew members.
Unfortunately, this
is the shortest path
to Valhalla.

One of the
game’s strengths is
its terrain model-
ing. which enables
minor dips and
folds in the ground
to conceal potential
threats, even in rel-
atively flat desert
terrain. If unseen
enemy units always
destroy your tank,
it's probably
because you
bypassed them,
providing an easy
shot against your
tank's vulnerable

I n their quest to overrun France in
1940, PANZER COMMANDER gamers
attempting the Grossdeutschland cam-
paign will run into French-built
Renault R-35 tanks. These tanks
appear to be invulnerable to rounds
from the 37mm gun on the Pz 38(t)A
and the short 75mm gun on the Pz
Mark IV. In fact, the R-35s can be
killed at ranges under 400 meters. The
trick is to hit them in the front hull,
where their armor is thinnest. That's
right, the thinnest armor on this tank
is on its front. Hits anywhere else will
simply bounce off.

important factors for
success. Therefore, you
need to focus on what's
happening in the imme-
diate vicinity of your
platoon, using your
tank's main gun to
extend its sphere of
influence and its sec-
ondary machine guns
to take out nearby tar-
gets of opportunity.

Keep Your
Head Up

In air-to-air combat,
situational awareness is
critical, and the same is
true for the ground
combat in PANZER
COMMANDER, Where
are the enemy tanks
and antitank weapons?

Perhaps the greatest
challenge for gamers
who've become accus-
tomed to other tank

simulations is having to

See the Review

AUGUST ISSUE • 4 STARS

adjust to PANZER COMMANDER'S
style of play. At the game's highest
realism settings, you simply can't

HULL DOWN This gunsight view illustrates
the advantage of being hull down behind a
hill. With only a small portion of your tank's
turret showing, you're harder to hit and
tougher to kill.

win consistently
by playing the
game buttoned
up and staring at
the map or from
behind the gun-
ner's sight.

Instead, as pla-
toon comman-
der, it's your
responsibility to
take control of
the situation
around you by
spotting targets,
assessing
threats, making
targeting decisions, and maneuver-
ing appropriately, if you don’t, you
won't be around to tell the grand-
kids what you did in the war.

This means you’ve got to get
your head out of the turret and
constantly scan in all directions to
spot new threats and potential tar-
gets. The mistake many players
make is in believing that they can
concentrate on shooting their
tank's main gun while turning the
duties of driving, scouting, target
spotting, and threat assessment

flank or rear armor. For this reason,
your head must be out of the tank
and on a swivel. Although you are
most interested in what's in front
of your tank, never assume that
your flanks are secure.

In addition, once a target is
spotted, don't fixate on it to the
point of ignoring greater threats,
especially when the selected target
isn't of immediate danger. Use the
Tab key to cycle through all spotted
targets and then engage the most

COMPUTER GA/WNG WORLD * DECEMBER 1998

PANZER COMMANDER

U.S. Tank

Horse-

Weight

Hull

Turret

Main

Elevation/

Turret

TVpe

(Mo./Yr.)

(mph)

power

(Tons)

Armor

Gun

Depression

Traverse

'' M4A3

IMH R/47

; 25/10

500 1

70/53/53

105/70/70

75mm

+257-10*

40*/sec.

M4A3E2

7/44

21/7

500

143/106/53

213/213/213

75mm

+25'’/-10’

24“/sec.

M4A3E8

9/44

" 26/10

500 it

87/53/53

87/87/87

76mm

+25’’/-10‘’

30®/sec.

M24

12/44

34/12

220 r

17.5

35/35/18

35/35/35

75mm

+157-10*

367sec.

M26

22/6

\ 500 1

; 143/106/71

143/106/106

90mm

+207-10’

277sec

Speed = Top Road Speed/Lowest Off-Road Speed Weight = Metric Tons

Hull Armor = Effective Front/Side/Rear in mm’ Turret Armor = Effective Front/Side/Rear in mm*

’Note: Sloped armor values represent the approximate effective armor thicknesses used in Panzer COMMANDER rather than the actual historical values.

dangerous threat first. If there are
multiple threats capable of
destroying your tank, it's best to
run for the nearest cover and plot
a new course of action.

Maneuver Combat

While Greyhound might want
you to "leave the driving to us,"
turning your driving duties over
to the Al isn't a good idea in
PANZER COMMANDER. The virtual
drivers always attempt to follow
suggested waypoints — which
usually means driving directly
into areas where you'll encounter
the most resistance and the
greatest danger.

Early in a mission, it's a good
idea to spend a minute or two
studying the map, preferably in a
safe location. This will help you
get your bearings. On missions in
which your platoon must cover a
lot of ground, take an occasional
glance at the map to make sure
you're on course and to spot
areas you must capture (shown
as yellow blocks).

When you attack, always look
for opportunities to outflank the
enemy's defenses. Antitank
emplacements have a 90-degree
field of fire to their front (45
degrees each side of center). Thus,
when you're faced with numerous

IVAN'S ILLUSION The KV series of Soviet heavy tanks are a
menacing sight witii 76.2mm guns and thick armor, but their
limited gun depression puts them at a distinct disadvantage in
some situations.

B y using a relatively inexpensive four-button joystick
equipped with a hat switch and remapping a few key-
board commands, you can improve your response time in
tight situations. For example, a joystick setup to assist with
gunnery is:

Fires main gun
Fires coaxial machine gun
Gunner's sight 2.5x view
Gunner's sight 5x view
j Adjusts cross-hairs ranging
- Elevates gun, depresses gun,
and traverses turret

In the unbuttoned, binocular, and external views, the joy-
stick's hat switch can be used to rapidly pan the view 360
degrees around the tank or to look up or down, greatly aid-
ing in spotting targets. If you're buttoned up in the com-
mander's station, the hat switch will pan the view through
the cupola viewport.

Bringing the tank to an immediate halt to fire an accu-
rate shot depends on bei ng able to quickly press the brake
key. If the defautt£]^^^key is too cumbersome, remap
the keyboard commands to make thc^^^^the brake
command, When the joystick is used for gunnery, the space
bar becomes superfluous for firing the main gun.

If you keep one hand on the joystick and the other on
the keyboard, it becomes much easier to coordinate spot- !
ting, maneuver, and use your gunnery. On the move, use
keyboard commands to speed up, slow down, or stop the
tank. From the unbuttoned or external view, keep your
thumb on the joystick's hat switch to constantly scan the
|V area to the front and around your tank.

British Tanks J

Available

(Mo./Yr.)

Speed

(mph)

Horse-

power

Weight

(Tons)

Hull

Armor

Turret

Armor

Main

Gun

Elevation/

Depression

Turret

Traverse

Matilda il

1/40

13/4

380

75/70/55

78/57/57

2 pounder

+28*/-11’

17*/sec

Crusader 1

3/41

26/7

340

40/27/30

40/30/30

2 pounder

+28*/-ir

30*/sec.

Valentine " -

3/42

14/4

131

91/60/60

6 pounder

+20*/-5*

24*/5ec.

Churchill iV <

8/42

15/4

350

102/74/70

6 pounder

+20*/-12*

24*/sec.

Cromwell VII ''-'r?-

6/44

29/8

600

28.5

101/56/51

75mm

+28’/-11*

24*/sec.

Firefly 'i

6/44

)

22/7

500

71/53/53

106/71/71

17 pounder

+15*/-10*

27*/sec.

Comet ^ ,l

4/45

28/8

600

; 36

101/50/50

77mm

+207-12*

20®/sec

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD « DECEMBER

PANZER COMMANDER

"ierman Tanks

Hull

Turret

Type

(Mo./Yr.)

fmph)

power

(Tons)

Armor

Gun

Depression

Traverse

1 Pz38(t)A ifO,

if'. 1/39

25/9

125

25/18/18

25/25/25

37mm

+257-10"

32"/sec.

1 pz ivD

f 1/40

n 24/5

300

30/20/20

75mm L/24

+207-8*

24"/sec.

j Pz IIIG . !|

7/40

i 24/5

300

30/30/30

37/30/30

SOmm L/42

+20“/-10"

30®/sec.

Pz liiL > :

6/42

1 24/6

300 !

22 !

70/30/53

70/30/30

50mm L/60

+207-10"

277sec.

Pz IVH

8/42

23/5

. 300 •

' 25 :

80/30/30

75mm L/48

+20"/-8"

12"/sec.

Panther G

1/44

28/7

690

! 45

' 112/70/56

168/70/70

75mm U70

+18"/-8"

20*/sec,

Tiger 1

3/44

23/6

700

100/80/82

110/80/80

88mm L/56

+10"/-9"

12"/sec.

Tiger M ^

12/44

23/5

600

210/112/112

259/112/112

88mm L/71

+15"/-7"

18"/sec.

Should You Upgrade?

A S time progresses in campaign games,
you're occasionally asked if you want to
upgrade to a new or improved tank.
Think carefully before making this decision.
Some "upgrades" require you to sacrifice advan-
tages you might prefer to keep. For example,
during the Soviet 12th Guards campaign, you
can upgrade from the KV-1/42 to the KV-1S. The

antitank emplacements, the in-
direct approach is always better.

Divide and Slaughter

Whether attacking or defending,
you should always try to take on
enemy units a few at a time, Use
hills, valleys, and forests to screen
your movement and to limit how
many enemy units can see you at
any one time. Slowly ease your
way over hills to spot threats on
the opposite side before moving
through unscouted areas. Avoid
"skylining" tanks in your pla-
toon — the practice of moving
along the highest point of a crest
or hill, which endangers your tank
by silhouetting it against the sky.

Always be on the lookout for
terrain behind which your entire
platoon can be deployed to fight
from hull-down positions. That is,
the tank's turret and gun should
peek over the top while its hull
remains hidden. Walls, hills, and
low rises work best for this tactic.

flanks and rear. Look for a spot
that enables you to anchor at least
one flank on an area that’s difficult
to maneuver through or around.
Again, fight from hull-down posi-
tions whenever possible.

Once contact with the enemy is
made, the best approach is usually
a cautious advance that enables
you to engage and destroy targets
one at a time. However, there are
times when getting from Point A to
Point B means exposing your pla-
toon to enemy fire. In these
instances, a mad dash at top speed
is in order. Make a few zigzags to
throw off enemy aim and make
use of cover as much as possible.

Learn to recognize terrain such
as mud, ice, and steep slopes that
slow your movement to a crawl.
Not only do you risk being caught
in the open with no chance to run
for cover, but you also hurt your
chances for completing a mission
on time.

S model is faster, but sacrifices a significant
amount of armor for increased speed. Near the
end of the 12th Guards campaign, you can
switch to the mighty IS-2, a fairly mobile tank
with a huge gun and thick armor. Unfortunately,
this beast carries a pitifully small load of ammu-
nition, a distinct drawback on longer missions.
You might want to seriously consider sticking
with the KV-85.

Practice the maneuver by observ-
ing through the unzoomed gun-
sight view (F6) as your tank slowly
climbs the crest of a hill. The
moment you can see over the
other side, hit the brakes.

When defending, don't be con-
tent to sit in one place. Many
times, enemy units will attack from
more than one direction. Move to
a position that enables your tank
to engage a few attackers at a
time and that provides cover to the

Fire Combat

In PANZER COMMANDER, shoot-
ing the big gun is the most fun.
Although the Al gunners usually do
a competent job of engaging and
destroying targets, few players are
content to delegate this duty to
their crew. The joy of putting steel
on target and turning enemy tanks
into smoldering scrap metal is
what this game is all about.

But shooting the gun is one
thing, and doing it well is another.

Soviet Tanks .

Hull

Type

(Mo./Yr.)

(mph)

power

(Tons)

Armor

Gun

Depression

Traverse

H 6/35

5 52/11

j 500 ^

14 !

: 18/18/18

18/18/18

45mm

+40"/-10"

30"/sec.

i KV-IC

f 1/42

? 17/4

; 600

47 I

■ 110/120/90 :

120/120/90

76.2mm

+30"/-3"

17"/sec.

1 T-34C

s 1/42

[• 33/9

f 450 ^

31 j

. 66/84/66 .

98/73/74

76.2mm

+30"/-3"

36"/sec.

I KV-85 !

[ 9/43

; 24/6

^ 600 ;

46 !

. 75/60/60 ■

160/110/100

85mm

+30"/-3"

12*/sec.

' IS-2 '-i;;-;

K 1/44

i 22/6

li 600

46 j

120/95/60 ,

160/110/100

122mm

+30"/-3"

127sec.

( T-34/85

1 3/44

33/10

500

32 i

66/84/66 ;

126/105/84

85mm

+30"/-3"

17"/sec.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

PANZER COMMANDER

Relative Armor Penetration Values, Main Cuns

76.2mmF-34

1 APHE/APDS

I 69/92

61/60 :

54/- 1

85 mm ZiS S-53 „

i APHE/APDS

i 111/138

102/100

93/-

122 mm D-25T

] APHE/HEAT

: 145/200

145/200 !

Weapon

Projectile Type

457 meters

@ 30° slope

914 meters
@ 30° slope

1,372 meters
@ 30° slope

37 mm M6

> APC-M51

46 1

i « ^

75 mm M6

' APC-M61

60 1

76 mm Ml

^ APC-M62

93 :

! 82 !

90 mm M3

APC-M82/HVAP

129/221 V!

122/199

! 114/176 i

UNSAFE HOUSE These two Pantiiers thought they were safely
under cover behind a house in front of them. Machine-gun fire
brought down the house, exposing the Panthers. Before they
could react, both were destroyed by a T-34/85.

You should familiarize yourself
with the performance of the gun
your tank carries (see chart). Being
able to hit an enemy vehicle means
little if your gun can't penetrate its
armor. The armor penetrating
power of your tank's gun deter-
mines whether you can engage in
long-range, straight-up shootouts
or whether you should maneuver
for a close flank or rear shot.

Some guns, particularly on early-
war tanks, fire rounds at such low
velocities, their effective range is
500 meters or less. For them, using
the rangefinder in the 5x (F7) view

to dial in the correct range is
almost a must. As the war pro-
gressed, most nationalities adopted
larger-caliber, high-velocity guns
that fired on flatter trajectories out
to ranges of 1,500 meters and
beyond, the German 88mm being
the most famous example.

Make It Snappy

One valuable tank gunnery tech-
nique is firing snap shots. Some-
times you'll find yourself in a situa-
tion in which enemy vehicles or
antitank emplacements are so
close and threatening that there is

120/176

no time use the rangefinder, in
faa, using the 5x magnification
view for close targets can be dis-
orienting and waste precious time.

Instead, switch immediately to
the 2.5x (F6) gunsight, which offers
a wider view, making it easier to
quickly locate nearby targets.
Although, there is no rangefinder
in this view, the basic reticule is
quite effective for close-range
shooting, especially If your tank is
equipped with a high-velocity gun.
Simply point and shoot. With prac-
tice, you'll find that you can shoot
quickly and accurately by estimat-
ing the proper lead and elevation.

Because WWII tanks don't have
the gun stabilization and fire con-
trol systems that make modern

tanks fire-on-the-move marvels,
shooting accurately means having
to fire while stationary. However,
there are times when firing on the
move is required to deal with a
well-positioned enemy gun or
vehicle behind a hedge, forest, or
hill. In such a case, it's important
to line up the target and correctly
time your approach.

Enemy vehicles behind cover
will almost always fire before they
can actually hit your tank.
Therefore, by having your gun
aimed toward the enemy unit and
advancing slowly to keep your
gunsight picture fairly stable, you
can often emerge from behind
cover while the opposing vehicle is
busy reloading, in this situation,
you must make your first shot
count. If you miss, you're dead.

Also, don't neglect to use your
tank's coaxial machine gun. It's
very good for taking out sand-
bagged infantry and antitank
emplacements within a few hun-
dred meters of your tank. In addi-
tion, you can use it to knock down
buildings that enemy vehicles are
hiding behind. Have your finger on
the main gunfire button to instant-
ly pump an armor-piercing round
into your surprised enemy.

Although air support, artillery,
and infantry are part of PANZER
COMMANDER, it is neither a game
about WWII combined-arms tactics
nor a game that enables players to
duplicate the exploits of the war's
great task force and kampfgruppe
commanders. It's a game that's
unabashedly about tanks and what
it's like to command from the tur-
ret of a lumber-
ing iron beast.
The sooner you
can put yourself
in that frame of
mind, the better
player you'll
become. 233

TERRAIN MASKING Using terrain effectively is
a major part of the game. Here, two T-34/85S
conceal themselves behind buildings in hopes
of luring German Panthers into a trap.

Thanks to Rick
Martinez of SSI
for his help in
compiling data
(especially
charts) for this
article -Ed.

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER 1998

C^yi/IER'S BDCB

EZZS

CHEAT CODES HINTS WALKTHROUGHS

A lot of gamers I know obsess
over reputation in MIGHT &

MAGIC VI. While this is commend-
able up to a point, reputation is
only important for two things in
the game. You must be saintly to
become a Light master and noto-
rious to become a Dark master.

It's easy to become saintly.

Donate at temples to get your
reputation up to respectable (or
better), Then complete several
council or promotional quests in a
short period of time. If you're
dose to saintly, pick up a bard or
other reputation-boosting NPC.

Becoming notorious is very easy,
providing you're willing to kill inno-
cent peasants. If casual murder is a
bit much for your piaying style, per-
forming enough of the following
actions will sufficiently lower your
reputation;

• Donating and healing at the
temples of Baa

• Selling bones

• Returning the candelabra

• Completing the price-fixing
quest

• Raiding the sarcophagi in Castle
Darkmoor

• Performing the ritual and
touching the Baa face in the
Superior Temple of Baa

• Letting the figure in Castle
Kriegspire heal your party

Note: If your reputation is too
scandalous, a few key characters in
the game either will not speak to you
or will throw you in jail if you visit
them. On the other hand, it can be a
lot of fun to play from the dark side.

Simulations/Space yr

X-COM INTERCEPTOR

To activate cheats in MicroProse's latest space
sim, do the following;

First, press Ctrl-W.

When you hear the low double beep tone, type
in battlecheat to enable in-flight cheats.

Then type canttouchthis for invincibility,
or fillerup for unlimited flight range.

— Terry Coleman

what you need to do, they may be

All those peasants
milling around towns
and in houses are
really available for
hire. While they all
cost some gold, non-
player characters
(NPCs) can provide a
lot of bang for the buck.
Particularly valuable are NPCs that
boost your party's merchant skill
(merchants, dupers), the amount
of experience you earn from com-
bat (teachers, instructors), spell
skills (spell masters, mystics),
weapon skills (arms masters,
weapons masters), and the
amount of money you find (fac-
tors, bankers). Other NPCs are of
more limited benefit, but depend-
ing on the makeup of your party,
the stage of its development, and

worth checking out.

Just make sure that you don't
hire two NPCs of the same type.
Two bankers, for example, double
your cost, but only provide the
benefit of one banker, instead,
hire two NPCs of different types
that provide the same sort of ben-
efit, such as one factor and one
banker. Since NPCs change fre-
quently, you should be able to
find the ones you seek.

— Petra Schlunk

GET MEDIEVAL

Yes, it's Gauntlet for the '90s, and you knew the
game had to have cheats, So, without further ado:
Code Effect

mpkfa God mode

mppos Global position

mpfps Frames per second

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECE/VIBER 1998

COMMANDOS: BEHIND ENEMY LINES

If some of the
tougher missions in
COMMANDOS leave
you feeling like an
unwashed member of
the Dirty Dozen, try
these codes.

After beginning the
game, type
198260NZ0,
then type one of the
following:

Code Effect

Shift-X Selected commando is teleported to chosen location

Shift-N All objects in your field of view are displayed

Shift-Ctrl-N Jumps you to the next mission

Ctrl-I Your commandos are now invulnerable

-Terry Colemerj

MECHCOMMANDER

Having a Mech-
sized headache trying
to win later missions
in MECHCOMMANDER?

These cheats can
improve your score in
a hurry, but be careful.

None of the codes
have been thoroughly
tested by FASA or
MicroProse (they
won't handle tech sup-
port calls on cheats),
and we'll tell you from experience, some of them — particularly osmium and
Ctrl-Alt-W— v\nll crash your system if you rely on them too much. So, as always,
make sure to back up your save-game files before trying these out, and don't
say we didn't warn you!

It takes a little effort to activate the cheats:

1 . Update to MECHCOMMANDER version 1 .8.

2. Find the windows.fit file in the directory where you installed
MECHCOMMANDER (the default directory is C;\Program
Files\Fasalttteractive\MechCmdr)

3. Rename windows. fit as ixtiriimceourl, which is the secret file needed to
enable the cheats.

4. Type in the codes during the proper phase as shown below.

The following cheats must be typed in during the Logistics Phase;

Code Effect

poundofflesh Adds 1 ,000,000 resource points

rockandrollpeople Removes drop weight limit on current mission

The following cheats must be typed in during each mission:

TRIBAL RAGE

Don t worry about moving
credits around to the region
that will launch an attack. The
game gives you an average
amount based on the number
of credits divided by the num-
ber of regions you hold.

The Al launches attacks
piecemeal, so putting up a
few defensive hardpoints or
tripods pays big dividends. You can then build up your main force in
the rear, and not have to constantly resupply the front lines.

One important tech to buy is the ammo pack, which gives your
units longer legs in the attack.

When moving a truck carrying mining gear, don't right-click, or
the truck will plant the mine right there, even if no ore is present —
and you'll be out 3,000 credits. — Loyd Case

Ctri-Alt-W

osmium

lorrie

lordbunny

mineeyeshave

seentheglory

deadeye

Jumps to mission successful screen
Makes your Mechs and vehicles invincible.

Repairs damaged armor/weapons

Gives you unlimited, instantaneous artillery strikes

(Press b and left-click to nuke the target)

Reveals the entire map

Max out gunnery skills on all MechWarriors

—Terry Colemar)

NAM

We tried to warn you in our review last month. But if
you'd already bought NAM by then, you'd probably like to fin-
ish it now. With that in mind, here are some helpful tips:

1. The first trick to making it through each mission is to
save early, save often. You're going to die a lot. Get used to it.

2. Work the flanks. Never approach a location over open
ground. This is especially true when assaulting beaches or
fortified positions.

3. Pay attention to sound. Most radio messages warn of
an impending attack, and the sound of people conversing in
Vietnamese is always bad. You can usually hear artillery and
air strikes on their way in, allowing you time to take cover.

4. Use your grunts well. They provide covering fire and
medical assistance (among other things), but you can't rely
on them to survive in a hostile environment, if you think they
will die uselessly, and if you want their assistance later, con-
sider ordering them to stay in cover until you need them,

5. Don't try to kill everything in sight. Keep moving, use
cover wisely, and work your way directly toward your objec-
tive. if you're under fire and can't immediately identify where
the threat is coming from, or if it's coming from several direc-
tions, get under cover before worrying about shooting back.
Don't stand and slug it out. If possible, let the VC come to
you, then pick them off one at a time. — Tirr) Carter

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 199 8 439 .

'JANE’S WORLD WAR II
FIGHTERS’ Fly the 7 best
tighters ol WWII with
unprecedented effects,
terrain, & aircraft detail.
Contains training mis-
sions. variable difficulty
levels, a branching cam-
paign, realistic flight
dynamics, & sophisticat-
ed At. Planes break apart,
awesome crashes &
explosions, with realistic
clouds, smoke, & fire.
Virtual 3-0 cockpits with
v/orking dials.

EA (Simulation)
Release: 10/98
PC CD

'SAITEK R4 FORCE FEEDBACK
RACING WHEEL & PEDALS' is
the most advanced racing system
on the market. Everything is
vrhere it needs to be and
designed to be comfortable even
after hours of driving. The Force
Feedback version also provides a
tactile response lo collisions, the
road surface and ofher in-game
factors for the ultimate driving
experience.

Saitek (Hardware)

Release: 10/98 ~

'LUFTWAFFE COMMANDER’ Fly
the work-horse of the Luftwaffe,
the Me-109. There are 10 llyable
planes and 58 planes In all.
Includes 50 single player mis-
sions and a "Custom Combat'
option. Career-mode combat (sin-
gle player only) will span Spain,
France, Great Britain. Russia, and
Germany. Multi-player mode (up
to 10 players) via modem, direct
connect, LAN, or the Internet.

SSI (Simulalion)

' Release: 11/98
PC CD

faster! The
supercars vs. muscle cars from
the past continues. Now with 28
cars & 17 tracks. Features an

Ing single car competition &
tiple leagues. New cop chase
mode & split screen lor head-to-
head competition. Includes 3
difficulty levels, customizable
vehicles, and arcade mode.

EA (Slmulation)p(;

Release: 11/98
PC CD PSX

I 'NHL HOCKEY 99' All new Skal-

I Ing and goalie animation mollor-
I captured into the game by NHL
players. Complete 1997-98 sea-
son statistics & updated 1998
rosters. A new beginner level.
Analog slick control. Accelerated
3-0 support. Six gameplay
modes: exhibition, season,
oils, tournament, shoolou
Marc Crav/tord coaching
Multiple game strategies.

EA Sports pc-PS)

I Sports

Release: NOW N64

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Tim

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Jet Fighter Full Burn
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COMPUTER GAMES; ADVENTURE

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Dark Vengeance 11/96
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Delta Force tO/98
Descent 3 12/98
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Descent Freespc Exp Pk 09/98
Die by the Sword Exp Pk 09/98
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COMPUTER GAMES: SPORTS

Big Ail

Big Game Hunter 0398

Deer Hunter 2 1098

FIFA Road Wfid Cup 96 1297

FIFA Soccer 99 1198

FOX Sports Goll 99 0696

S16.99 FOX Sports Soccer 99
$28,99 FPS Football 99
$37.99 FPS Skiing 99
$19.99 Golden Tee Goll 96
$19.99 Hardball 6
$19.99 Knockoul Kings
$42 99 Links Extreme
$39.99 Links LS 99

06/98 $39.99 Madden NFL 99

11/96 $42,99 NBA Live 99

10/98 S39.99 NCAA Football 99

06/98 $29.99 NFLGameday99

04/98 S2599 NHL Hockey 99

11/98 $44.99 PBA Bowling 2

10/98 $25.99 TNN Outdoor Pro

10/98 $39.99 World Cup 96

11/98 $35.1
Chive 10/98 $29.1

10/98 $49.1
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Archives 4 09/98 $39.!

C&CRAOominalRpk 10/97 $39!

F-16/ MiG 29 Bundle 09/98 $44.!

HINT BOOKS

Adven

Daika

Kail Lite 11/98

Prey 05/99

Rainbow Six OS.rSS

Sin 11/98

Unreal 06/98

Unreal Aulh Stial Gde 06/98

Unreal Cnsucuon Kn 09/96

$13 99
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$13 99
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$19 99
$15 99

Jhl3 10/98 $17.99

118 11/98 $16 99

tender 11/98 $16.99

Role-Playing

igic 6 05/98 $16.99

’rpiect 10/98 $16.99

cension 12/98 $16.99

ie 2nd Age 10/98 $17.99

lid Comolllon 11/98 $29.1

II $2 10/98 $32.!

ection 09/98 $13.!

Tipilalion 10/98 $19.!

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cing Sis 2
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SONY PLAYSTATION

NINTENDO 64

Alien Resurrection
Apocalypse

Armored Core Pioj Phan
Army Men
Baliieship
Bombeiman World
Brave Fencer Musashi
Brrgandme
Bushido Blade 2
C&CRed Alert Reiai
C.Contra Advenlure
Cool Boarders 3
Crash Bandicoot Warped
Duke Nukem Time Kill
FIFA Soccer 99

$44.99
$39 99
$36 99
$42 99
$3999
S44 99
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$44 99
$42 99
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$44 99
$42 99
$42,99
$44 99
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FOX Spons Hockey 99
Filth Element
Final Fanlasy 8
Future Cop LAPD
Kagera.Oeceplion2
Kensei Sacred Fist
Legacy Karn Soul Reavi
Lunar Silver Star Story
Mega Man Legends

ai Solid

NASCAR 99

Nm^a Shadow Darkness
OddWoild Abe's Exodus
Pac Man 30

11/98 $42.99
09,98 $39.99
0699 $54.99
0998 $39.99
10/98 $43.99
1198 $44.99
0199 $46 99
1298 $43.99
0998 $39.99
1098 $49 99
0998 $42.99
1198 $42.99
1098 $44.99
1198 544 99
0199 $44.99

Parasite Eve
Resident Evil 3
Rival Schools
Silent Hill

Airage

1298 $51.99
1098 $42.99
0I99 $44.99
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Spyro the Dragon
Suikoden2
TaiFu

Tales ol Destiny
Test Drive 5
Tomb Raider 3
Turok Dinosaur Hunter 2

Upiisii

1298 $45.99
1198 $39.99
1098 $44.99
lOr'98 $4399
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1098 $48.99
1296 $42.99
1298 $45.99
10(98 $46.99

Buck Bumble
Casllevanla 64

F-Zero64
FIFA Soccer 99
Fighting Force 64
Legend of Zelda
Madden Football 99

NBA Ja

1 99

1098 SS2
1298 $54
1098 $59
1198 $64
0998 $53.
1198 $64.
0998 $64.
0299 $62.

NFL Q6 Club 99
Peileci Dark
Star WarsrRogue Squad
Top Gear Overdrive
Turok Dinosaur Hunter 2 1098 $64.
WCW/HWO Revenge 1098 $64,

1198 $54.

COMPUTER GAMES: STRATEGY

01/99

•sFinfCongsl 07/93
OiiK 10/97

2 05/99

gtsRiseRme 11/98
ndeis ia98

igence 12/93

trayMsn 05(93

us 3 Allies 0993

inieciiiise'3000 1096
!ItlecrLii5f3000ADV2 01098
ackstonaChtoncles 11/93
& C 0995

&C2:TjQerianSiin 1093
i c Gold 0297

&CRAAtlBtmalh 10/97
&CRedAlerl 1196

342.99
313 99
329 99
$43 99
329 99
346 99

345.99
$43.99

326.99
339 99

38 99

317.99
344 99

312.99

343.99

313.99

319.99
319 99

319.99

346.99

329.99
$24.99

346.99

319.99

323.99

345.99

319.99

334.99

346.99

315.99

312.99

335.99
$12.99

337.99

339.99

326.99
339 99

Deadlock 2
Oominani Species
Dominion Slo/m
Duel Mage Wars
Dune 2000
Dungeon Keeper 2
Dungeon Keeper Gold
Dungn Kpr Deepi Ongns
Echelon
Emergency

Emperor QlFadng Suns
Enemy Nalrons
Enlrepreneur
Evolulion
Eiireme Tactics
Enreme Warfare
Force Commander
Freedom In Galaxy
Galilean Conflict
Gangsters
Glodal Oomineiron
Golgotha
Heroes U&M 2
Heroes M&M 2 Exp Fk
Heroes M&MW95
Heroes pi M & M 3
Hidden Wars
Hollywood Mogul
Homeworld
Impetlalrsm 2
Incubatron

IncuOationiWildeiness
Industry Glani
Jaggd Aline Ddly Game
Jagged Alliance 2

KKND2
KKFID Extreme
Knights and Merchants

03/98 339.99
10/98 345.99
06/98 322.99
10/98 339.99
09/98 339.99
04/99 345.99
04/98 319.99
12/97 319.99
10/98 344.99
06/98 319.99
01/97 318.99
04/97 319.99
10/97 $36.99
01/96 329.99
08/98 348.99
10/98 348.99
02/99 $49.99
03/99 342.99
02/99 335.99
11/96 S3S.99
10/96 33999
10/96 348.99
11/96 319.99
05/97 319,99
02/96 319.99
11/98 344,99
11/98 348.99
12/97 $39.99
11/98 343.99
11/98 344.99
10/97 $36,99
05/93 319.99
04/98 336.99
09/93 314.99
10/93 344.99
03/93 319.99
09/98 $34.99
10/97 31999
10/98 337,99

LEDWars 10/98
Legend ol the Five Rings 12/99
Liberauon Day 03/98
LotdsRealm2 11/96
Lords Realm 2 Exp Pk 06/97

ol Magic
Lords ol Magic SE 10/98
MAX 12/96

F/AX 2 06«8

MTG Duels Planeswalker 02/93
Magic Spells of And 10/97
Magidihe Gathering 0397
Maiesly: Empire Oaiklnds 05/99
Ualkaii 09/93

Master ol Magic 1294
Master ol Orion 11/94

Master ol Orion 2 1196

MechCommander 0798
MechCommandr Exp Pek 12/98
Missn FrciCybisIrm 2 06/96

Myth

11/97

Myth 2
Qulposl 2
Pax imperia 2
Populous 3
Railroad Tycoon 2
Reach lor Stars 2
Rebellion W/ Stral
Revolution
RoboRumbie
Rulhless.com
SWAT 2

Sentinel Returns
Settlers 2 Gold
Seiners 3
Seven KingdmsAncAdv 0698
Seven Kingddms 2 1193

SlmCity3000 1098

Soldiers at War 0598

341.99

342.99

333.99

319.99

328.99

526.99

339.99

515.99

327.99

326.99

327.99

315.99

348.99

337.99

319.99
$24.99

339.99
$29.99

336.99

319.99
$43.99
319.99

Slar Trek Birth Fed
Star Trek: New Worlds I

SiaiTrkSiailiiComm
SlarCon l

Slarcrall I

SlarcrafI Srood Wars
Slarcrall 8ni Chest
Siaicrati Relirbulion
Slarcrall Slllr Forces
Stars Twrnpack I

Siraiosphete i

Total Annihilation
Total Annitn Cf Ctgcy i

Toll Annhitn Bill Teles r

Total Annhlin Kingdoms <

Total Annlh War Chest l

Transport Tycoon DIx l

Tribal Rage i

Uprising 2
War ol the Worlds
Warcrall 2 Platinum
Warcrafl3 i

Wargames i

Warhmmr 40k Chs Gale
Warlords 2 Dlx i

Warlords 3 i

Warlords 4 I

Warirds 3 Dtk Lrd Rsg i

Warwind 2

Warzone 2100 i

Worms 2 i

Worms Armageddon
X-Com Apocalypse i

X-Com Terr Irm Deep i

X-Com UFO Detense i

COMPUTER GAMES: WAR

ROLE PLAYING | [ PC: ADULT GAMES

iteal Battles Caesar

Sreai BitJes Hannibal
tarpoon ‘

01/98

06/96

12/98

11/96

05/97

12«5

07/96

05/96

05/99

02fl9

11/97

12/98

06/98

11/97

03/98

06/97

11/97

07/99

335.99

339.99

344.99
32799

337.99

318.99
$19.99
$18.99
318.99

318.99
$39.99

341.99
$42 99

346.99

322.99

339.99

319.99

329.99
$34.99

334.99

346.99

Harpoon 97
Medieval
Napoleon 1813
NonhVs. Soutn
Opei Art Wat Pk 1-2 ea
Opettronl Ait of War
Over the Reich
Pacilrc General Budget
Pacrirc Tide
Panzer General 3
People's General
Road to Moscow
Semper Fi

Sid Meier's Geltysbrg
Sialingiad

Sieel Panthers Arsenal
Third Reich
Tides oiWar
VVIctory Bundle
War Along the Mohawk
West Front

11/96 329.99
07/96 332.99
10/93 342 99
11/96 337.99
09/98 $22.99
06/96 $39 99
11(96 333 99
07/96 $9,99
09/98 545.99
Oim 34 4 99
09(96 342.99
0299 337.99
0296 $32.99
1097 $22.99
0295 329.99
0598 $36.99
1096 $29.99
0996 336.99
1195 327.99
0996 $28.99
$37.99

Call ol Clhuihu
Conspiracy X
Cybeipunk 2020
Dragonlance 5lh Age
Ealhdawn
Fading Suns
GURPS Rulebook
Heavy Gear
MERP 2 Sortcover
Mechwairlor
Pendragon 4th Ed.
Rills

RobolECh

Shadowiun 2nd Ed.
SiarWars Revised

0295 318.99
0996 322.99
0595 317 99
0996 320 99
0695 31799
0297 321.99
029 5 322 99
089 5 325.99
1095 319.99
0793 313.99
0595 319.99
0695 321.99
0495 $11.99
12/94 320 99
01/97 $27.99
0896 $27.99
03/96 326.99

Aladdin 8 Cityol Sin
Arabian Nighis
Babe Patrol
Calchin Xylie
Cyber Photographer
Diva X Taylor
Diva X: Kanako
Dream Machine 2
Femme Fatale
Girlliiend Donna

Net EioiiQue
Nightwalch Int 3
Romsolt Three Pack
Sex With Farrah
Space Sirens 2
Stnp Poker Pro 2
Ultra Vixen 2
Vampire's Kiss
Virtual Valerie 2
Veronica

COMPUTER GAMES: ROLEPLAYING ~| BOARD 'iS^iViEg*

lOSO Collector's Ed.

1198

0496

0596

12/96

05/99

1096

1196 $44.99 Mights Magic 6 LE

1297 $32.99 Mofdor2

07/97 334.99 Nox

11/98 345.99 Pianeseape Torment

0197 $27.99 Rage ol Mages

0399 $48.99 Revenant 01/99

0998 $29.99 Sepistra Core 10/98

1297 31799 Slat Trk Final Unity 0795
0996 339.99 Slaiship Diplomacy 0599

0399 $54.99 Swords & Sorcery 0299

0299 344 99 Swoids Ol Heroes 05/99

0196 519.99 Thiet: The Dark PifCt 1196

1097 329 99 Third World 05/99

1098 344 99 Ultima 9 Ascension 1296

0698 339.99 Ultima Online 0997

0699 343.99 Ultima Online: 2nd Age 1098

0998 $25 99 Wizardry 8 0299

1097 319 99 Wizardry Gold W95 0596

$44.99

337.99

354.99

342.99
$47.99
$47.99
$44.99
$29.99

348.99

312.99
$48.99

Advanced Squad Le
Airlines
Axis & Allies
Battletech 4tn Ed.
Bitter Woods
Circus Maximus
Empire Builder

FREE GAME OFFER!

spend ihe specilled amount on any In-stock soltwara and ebaose one tree
IBM game Izom the correspoedlng list. Request must be made at time ol
order, Oiler good on in-slook sollware only, while supplies last. Limit 2 per
customer. Valid through 12/698.

Spend $60

British Open Calt CD, Empiie 2 CD. Nemesis CD, Spaceward Hot 4 CD
Spend 3100

3D Ultra Pinball Creep Night CD, Jutland CD, Haalms Aifcanla Trilogy CD
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:all lor details.

SI 00 $200

‘TOMB RAIDER III’ Lara’s oil to even more exotic locations this time
around, from the blistering deserts ol India to the lush islands of the
I South Pacific. Now you can choose your destiny by selecting Ihe order
I In which you play each of Ihe tour adventures. Revamped game engine.
; new reflection system, vastly improved Al, new sgecial^eflects (rain,
I snow, fire, S more). PC CD-

> Eidos (Action)

' Release; 11/98

PSX4

12/94 $27,99
0698 $43.99
1097 $35.99
12/94 $19.99
039 6 332.99
0497 $39.99
1196 329.99

‘MirrH II; SOULBLIGHTER' is the
sequel to the hugely popular
Myth: The Fallen Lords, & features
an Improved engine with animated
3-0 models, 4x liner terrain mash,
& nev/ lighting model. New special
elfects include 3-D tire, ambient
life, & powerful new spells. Also
includes improved pathlinding, Al,
S new units S terrain. More net
fun with Individual & team rank-
ings and In-game alliances.

Bungle (Strategy)
Release^

'BALDUR'S GATE’ Is set in the
legendary Forgotten Realms cam-
paign world. It features a trans-
parent interlace and gameplay
that uses a real-time modification
ol the Advanced Dungeons &
Dragons rules system. There are
over 60 monsters to fight, you
control a party ol six each with

Interplay (Raleplaying)

Release; 11/98
PC CD

'TRESPASSERiJURASSIC PARK'
This Is a complex world of real
time and real physics. In a simu-
lation where every object and
creature Is a physically modeled
entity, you will learn to survive by
Improvisation, daring, and sheer
will. You will scale tov/ering cliffs
and plunge into the darkest jun-
gles. You will penetrate silent,
hidden groves, and explore vistas
ol stunning beauty.

Mlcrosolt (Action)

'SIN' As the leader of HARD-
CORPS sec-force, armed with an
array of weaponry and pitted
against mean and ugly mutants,
you must infiltrate the drug circuit
and bring It's master mind to jus-
tice. Driveable vehicles, seamless
multi-player gameplay over LAN.
modem, or Internet. Quake 3D
Engine
& wate

Activision (Action)

‘WEST FRONT' is a fast paced,
platoon-level game ol WWII tacti-
cal combat. Piay in Campaign,
random battle, or preset scenario
format. New mission types &
character promotions, new terrain
features, 50 new scenarios. 6 new
Campaign games. & 16 player
Inlernet/LAN mode. Full-function
map & scenario editors let you
create battles from a database of
5Q0 equipment & unit types.

Talonsoft (War)

CGW'S MONTHLY READERS' POLL

E ach month, 2,000 CGV^ subscribers are selected at random to rate 1 00 computer games. The results of that poll are combined
with the results of previous months to yield a cumulative average for the best plays in gaming. If you receive a ballot, please
return it with your ratings so that other gamers and game publishers can benefit from your feedback.

I TOP ACTION GAMES

r 1

Quake II

id Software

8.54

i 2

Quake Pack It Scourne

id Software/Ritual

R.S?

4.5

Quake Pack 2: Dissolution

id Software/RoQue

8.52

Jedi Kniaht: Dark Forces II

LucasArts

8.51

4.5

I ^

Unreal

GT Interactive

8.40

I ^

Jedi Kniaht: Mysteries

LucasArts

8.35

Tomb Raider

Eidos

7.9?

Moto Racer

£A

7 87

Battlezone

Activision

7.73

Tomb Raider II

Eidos

7.71

1 TOP ADVENTURE GAMES

— Sanitarium

ASC Games

8.43

4,5

Sbl 2

1 Curse of Monkev Island

LucasArts

8.31

3 Twinsen's Odvssev

Activision

7.65

2 Blade Runner

WestwoodATiroin

7.61

4 Zork Grand Inauisitor

Activision

7.58

N/R

5 Last Exoress

Broderbund

7.46

7 The Neverhood

DreamWorks

7.45

5 Realms of the Haunting

inierolav

7.42

4,5

9 Circle of Blood

Viroin

7.42

8 Rama

Sierra

7,41

4.5

TOP CLASSIC/PUZZLE GAMES

TOP SIMULATION/SPACE COMBAT

1 You Don't Know Jack 2

Berkeley SysieiTS_ 8.29 4.5

2. You pop.'t Kn_qw Jack_3 Berkeley Systems 8.03

3 3 You Don't Know Jack Movies Berkeley Systems 7.94 4.5

4 5 Smart Games Chall enge 2 Smart Games Inc. 7.84 5

4 Worms 2 MictoProse 7.67

Activision

7.66

You Don't Know Jack TV

Berkeley Svstems

7.61

2.5

You Don't Know Jack Sports

Berkeley Svstems

7,58

4.5

Power Chess

Sierra

7.37

N/R

—

Mastermind

Hasbro

7.00

3.5

1 TOP SPORTS GAMES

NHL 98

£A Soorts

8,64

FIFA Road to World Cup 98

£A Soorts

8,51

4,5

World Cud 98

EA Soorts

8.39

4,5

NBA Live 98

EA Sports

8,37

4,5

Jack Nicklaus 5

Accolade

8,16

NASCAR Racing 2

Sierra

8,13

NHL 97

EA Soorts

7.84

4.5

NBA Live 97

EA Soorts

7.8!

4,5

Diamond Mind Baseball 7.0 Diamond Mind

7.72

3.5

—

Tripleplay 99

EA Sports

7.72

2.5

1 TOP ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

1 Might and Magic VI

NewW. Comouting 8.91

4.5

2 Diablo

Blizzard

8.53

4.5

3 Fallout

Interplay

8,32

4,5

— Final Fantasy VII

Souaie

8.24

4.5

4 Hellfire

Sierra

8.01

5 Daggerfall

Bethesda

7,04

4,5

6 Shadows Over Riva

Sir-Tech

6.44

N/R

7 Lands of Lore II

Westwood

6.16

N/R

8 Meridian 59

3D0

5.41

3.5

9 Ultima Online

Origin

4.82

1,5

I ^

1 Longbow 2

8.51

9 2

2 Wing Commander: Pronhecv

Origin

8.46

4,5

3 F-15

£A

8.26

4,5

4 F-22ADF

DID

7.88

4,5

5 Fighters Anthology

7.72

3,5

5 MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries

Activision

7.67

4.5

7 Ml Tank Platoon II

MicroPfose

7.61

3,5

8 Flight Unlimited 2

Looking Glass

7.57

4,5

— Descent: Freespace

IniciDlav

7.55

9 Flight Sim 98

Microsoft

7.24

3.5

1 ^

Heroes il: Price of Loyalty

NewW. Computing 8.99

r ^

StarCraft

Siizzard

8,82

TA; Core Contingency

CavedoQ

8.76

4,5

Heroes II

NewW. Computing 8.60

Red Alert

Virgin/Westwood

8.51

4.5

Total Annihilation

GT interactive

8.25

Red Alert: Counterstrike

Virain/Westwood

8,22

Age of Empires

Microsoft

8.03

4.5

Civ II: Scenarios

MicroProse

7.90

Civ II: Fantastic Worlds

MicroProse

7.88

1 TOP WARGAMES

Steel Panthers II Camp. Disk

SSI

8.4

4,5

r ^

Panzer General II

SSI

8.33

Sid Meier's Gettysburg

Firaxis

8.09

4.5

Steel Panthers II

SSI

8.02

4,5

Battleground: Napoleon

TalonSoft

7.95

4,5

Battleground: Bull Run

TalonSoft

7.87

Tigers on the Prowl 11

HPS

7.76

Battleground: Antietam

TalonSoft

7,76

Steel Panthers Ml

SSI

7,43

Achtung! Spitfire

Avalon Hill

7.34

COMPUTER GAMING WORLD » DECEMBER T998

v.computergaming.c

Games on unnumbered lines are tied with game on line above. ★ = Top game of genre. Red = New Game, AD = Adventure, RP = Role-Playing, Si = Simulation/Space
Combat, ST = Strategy, WG = Wargame, AC = Action, SP = Sports, CP = Classic/Puzzle, Games are retired after two years and become eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Heroes II: Price of Loyalty New World Computing

8,99

Diamond Mind Baseball 7.0 Diamond Mind

7,72

3,5

Might and Magic VI New World Computing

8,91

4.5

Tripleplay '99 EA Sports

7.72

2.5

StarCraft Sllzzard

8.82

Fighters Anthology EA

7.72

3,5

Total Annihilation: Core Contingency Cavedog

8,76

4,5

Tomb Raider 11 Eidos

7.71

NHL 98 EA Sports

8,64

Worms 2 MicroProse

7,67

Heroes li New World Computing

8.60

MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries Activision

7.67

4,5

Quake II Aaivision

8,54

4.5

FI Racing Simulation UbiSolt

7.67

Diablo Bliztard

8,53

4.5

Shanghai Dynasty Activision

7.66

Quake Pack 1: Scourge id Soltware/Riiua!

8,52

4,5

Twinsen's Odyssey Activision

7,65

Quake Pack 2: Dissolution id Software/Rogue

8.52

Quake li MP: The Reckoning id SoftwareJActivision

7.62

3,5

FIFA Road to the World Cup 98 EA Sports

8.51

4.5

Blade Runner Westwood/Virgin

7.61

4.5

Red Alert V'irgin, 'Westwood

8.51

4.5

Ml Tank Platoon MicroProse

7,61

3.5

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II lucasArts

8,51

4.5

You Don't Know Jack TV Berkeley Systems

7.61

2.5

Longbow 2 EA

8,51

Zork: Grand Inquisitor Aaivision

7,58

N/R

Wing Commander: Prophecy Origin

8.46

4,5

You Don't Know Jack Sports Berkeley Systems

7,58

4,5

Sanitarium ASC Games

8.43

4,5

Flight Unlimited 2 Looking Glass

7,57

4.5

Unreal GT Interactive

8.40

63 Triple Play 98 EA Sports

7.55

Steel Panthers II Campaign Disk SSI

8.40

4.5

Descent: Freespace — The Great War Interplay

7,55

NBA Live 98 EA Sports

8,37

4,5

Crusader: No Regret EA/Origin

7.55

4,5

22 Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith liicasArts

8,35

Virtual Pool 2 Interplay

7,50

4,5

Panzer General II SSI

8,33

Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games Sir-Tech

7,50

Fallout Interlay

8,32

4.5

Jack Nicklaus 4 Accolade

7.49

Curse of Monkey Island LucasArts

8,31

Myth Bungle

7.49

4,5

You Don't Know Jack 2 Berkeley Systems

8.29

4.5

Last Express Red Orb

7.46

4.5

F-15 EA/Origin

8,26

4.5

The Neverhood DreamWorks

7.45

Total Annihilation GT interactive

8.25

4.5

Steel Panthers III SSI

7,43

Final Fantasy Vil Eidos

8.24

4.5

Interstate '76 Aaivision

7.43

4,5

Red Alert: Counterstrike VirginAVestwood

8.22

Realms of the Haunting Interplay

7.42

4.5

Jack Nicklaus 5 Accolade

8,16

Circle of Blood Virgin

7.42

NASCAR Racing 2 Sierra

8,13

Dungeon Keeper EA/8ullfrog

7,41

4.5

Sid Meier's Gettysburg firaxis

8,09

4.5

Rama Sierra

7.41

4.5

Age of Empires Microsoft

8.03

4.5

Power Chess Sierra

7.37

N/fi

You Don't Know Jack 3 Berkeley Systems

8.03

Achtung! Spitfire Avalon Hill

7.34

Steel Panthers II SSI

8,02

4,5

Dungeon Keeper Expansion EA/Bulifrog

7.34

4.5

Hellfire Sierra

8.01

Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far Microsoft

7.30

4,5

45 Battleground: Napoleon In Russia TalonSoft

7,95

4,5

Age of Rifles Campaign Disk SSI

7,30

You Don't Know Jack Movies Berkeley Systems

7,94

4,5

PGA Tour Pro EA Sports

7.29

3,5

Tomb Raider Eidos

7,92

Forsaken Acclaim

7.29

Civilization II: Scenarios MicroProse

7.90

Baseball Mogul Infinite Monkey

7.26

Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds MiooProse

7,88

Flight Simulator 98 Microsoft

7,24

3,5

F22 ADFDID

7,88

4,5

Uprising 300

7.23

N/R

Battleground: Bull Run TalonSoft

7,87

Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror Virgin

7,22

3,5

NHL97EA Sports

7.84

4,5

Lords of the Realm II Sierra

7.22

Smart Games Challenge 2 Smart Games Inc.

7,84

X-COM: Apocalypse MicroProse

7,20

Moto Racer EA

7,82

MDK Playmates/Shiny

7.20

4.5

NBA Live 97 EA Spoils

7.81

4,5

Black Dahlia Interplay

7,18

Tigers on the Prow! II HPS

7.76

Panzer Commander SSI

7.18

50 Battleground: Antietam TalonSoft

7.76

Leisure Suit Larry 7 Sierra

7.17

3.5

MechCommandcr MkroPtose

7.74

Soldiers at War SSI

7,16

Battlezone Activision

7.73

100 96

X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter LucasArts

7.15

3,5

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COMPUTER GAMING WORLD • DECEMBER 1998

/.computergaming. com

HALL OF FAME

Welcome to the Cooperstown of Computer Games. Games that broke

the records, established the benchmarks, and held gamers in delighted trances for hours untold.

Alone in the Dark (l-Motion, 1992}

Lovecraftian horror goes 3D, with shifting camera angles
adding to the creepy atmosphere.

The Bard's TalefEA, 1985)

Pioneered three-point animation, 3D color mazes,
and auto-mapping.

Battle Chess (Interplay, 1988)

The Franklin Mint of computer chess games, with violent
and funny animation disguising a solid chess engine.

Betrayal at Krondor(Dynamix,1993)

As rich and imaginative as Raymond Feist's world itself.

Chessmaster (Software Toolworks, 1 986)

The Cadillac of castling, it gets better with each version.

Command & Conquer (VirginAA/estwood Studios,
1995) Moved beyond Dune II with innovative features
and multiplayer play, ushering in the current real-time
strategy game explosion.

Day of the Terjtacle (LucasArts, 1993)

Offbeat sequel to Maniac Mansion; the interactive
equivalent of a classic Chuck Jones cartoon,

DOOM (id Software, 1993)

Revolutionized PC action games and network gaming;
now surpassed in technology, but not in gameplay.

Dungeon Master (FTL Software, 1987)

Trend-setting graphics, digitized stereo, and great hack-
and-slash from a decade ago.

Earl Weaver Baseball (EA, 1986)

Revolutionary physics-based baseball game pleased both
action and statistics fans: stil! unsurpassed more than a
decade later.

Empire (Interstel, 1978)

W'/yil in space, this mainframe transplant brought
elegant mechania, depth, and unending replayability to
the PC.

F-19 Stealth Fighter (MicroProse, 1988)

A "thinking man's" sim, with great missions, in which
sneaking around is as fun as doglighting.

Falcon 3.0 (Spectrum HoloByte, 1991)

Tough, detailed jet sim with ambitious Al, graphics, and
connectivity to match its realism,

Front Page Sports Football Pro(Dynamix, 1993)
Physics-based system, good Ai, and unmatched career
play make this the ultimate in pigskin play.

Gettysburg: The Turning Point (SSI, 1986)

First variable order of battle changed the look of all
American Civil War games on the PC.

Gunship(MicroProse, 1989)

Great charaaer continuity, R&R for fatigued pilots, and
even sick leave; best chopper fare until Jane's Longbow.

Harpoon (360 Pacific, 1989)

In-depth modern naval battles in realtime, based on the
world's Cold War fears.

KampfgruppefSSI, 1985)

Its WWII East Front armor battles were a success on
multiple platforms.

King’s Quest V (Sierra On-Line, 1990)

Redefined the graphic adventure with new parser and
VGA graphics.

Lemmings (Psygnosis, 1991)

The lovable cartoon Lilliputians were hits on every
platform.

Links 386 Pro (Access Softtvare, 1992)

Topped the leader board in graphics and realism for its era.

M-1 Tank Platoon [MicroProse, 1989)

Realistic sim that properly focused on armored formations
rather than on single vehicles; good mission designs.

Master of Magic (MicroProse, 1994}

The atmosphere of Magx: The Gathering with the
sophistication of Civ.

Master of Orion (MicroProse, 1993)

Remarkable diplomatic Al; deep and varied technology
tree; aliens required radically different playing styles.

Mech Brigade (SSI, 1985)

Improved Kampfgruppe system for modern armored
battles.

MechWarrior 2 (Activision, 1995)

A serious treatment of Mech design and resource
management, combined with complex and addictive
battles; legitimized "giant robot simulations. ”

Might & Magic (New World Computing, 1986}
First-person, maze-based RPG with huge environment
and tough combat.

M.U.L.E.(EA, 1983)

A landmark multiplayer strategy game that had no
weapons of destruction, just cutthroat competition that
made economics fun.

Panzer General (SSI, 1994}

Entertaining wargame with an elegant interface, great
campaigns, strong Al, good graphics, and impressive
sound.

Red Baron (Dynamix, 1990)

WWI air combat with great graphics, incredible realism,
and a versatile replay feature.

The Secret of Monkey Island (LucasArts, 1990)
Comedy that set new standards in writing quality and
social sensitivity,

Sid Meier's Civilization (MicroProse, 1991)
CGW's #1 -rated game of all time; indescribably addictive
world-conquest/exploration game.

Sid Meier's Pirates (MicroProse, 1987)

Combines pirate adventure, action, RPG, and strategy to
make the most successful hybrid of all time.

Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon (MicroProse, 1990)
SimCity meets 1830, with robber barons for emphasis.

SimCity (Maxis, 1987)

Urban planning with fascinating consequences and
challenges; the first great software toy.

StarflightfEA, 1986)

Depth, great characters, and a good sci-h storyline set
early RPG standard.

Their Finest Hour (LucasArts, 1989)

WWII sim with great campaigns, realism, and many
crew-member options.

TIE Fighter (LucasArts, 1994)

Most satisfying Star Wars space-combat game to date;
lets you live on the dark side.

Ultima III (Origin Systems, 1983)

Coherency and surprising subtlety emphasized role-
playing and set the tone for later Ultimas.

Ultima IV (Origin Systems, 1985}

High-concept RPG explored meaning of virtue and put the
role in role-playing.

Ultima VI prigin Systems, 1990)

RPG as morality play, replete with moral choices and
realistic environs.

Ultima Underworld (Origin Systems, 1992)

The first truly 3D RPG, and still the most convincing; its
dungeon walls are nicely "painted” with texture-mapped
graphics.

War in Russia [SSI, 1984)

More realistic than Eastern Front, it captured the essence
of the largest land campaign in history,

WarCraft II (Blizzard, 1996)

More cerebral than most real-time strategy games, it
offered deceptive depth and personality to spare.

Wasteland (Interplay, 1986)

Derived from Mike Stackpole's Mercenaries, Spies, and
Private Eyes, this is the definitive postapocalyptic RPG.

Wing Commander (Origin Systems, 1990)

A hot space-flight engine, unfolding story path, and
great characters.

Wing Commander II (Origin Systems, 1991)
Darker story, grittier feel, sound card advances, and
tougher Al made this a sequel of sequels.

Wing Commander III (Origin Systems, 1994)
Surprisingly satisfying FMV space-opera didn't lose the
essence of the space-combat game.

Wizardry (Sir-Tech Software, 1981}

Defined the computer RPG with maze-based viewpoint
and atmospheric spell names.

Wolfenstein 3-D (id Software, 1992)
Smooth-scrolling action blastfest cleverly updated the
original and put shareware back on the map.

X-COM (MicroProse, 1994)

Premier tactical squad-level engine combined with alien
tech research and pop culture for a sci-fi game nearly as
addictive as Civiuzation,

You Don't Know Jack (Berkeley Systems, 1996)
Fresh and irreverent. Jack turned trivia gaming on its
collective ear to become the first mainstream CD-ROM
with a gleeful gameplay bite,

Zork(lnfocom, 1981)

The progenitor of adventure games on the PC; its humor
and challenging puzzles seem timeless. The game has
since spawned a number of sequels, none of which has
equaled the original.

/.computergaming.i

COMPUTER GAAAING WORLD ■ DECEMBER 1998

Upgrade This!

Or, My Force-Feedback Joystick and I Would Like to Be Alone Now

ontrary to what you
might believe, maga-
zine editors do not
make a lot of money.
Let me rephrase that.
Gaming magazine
editors do not make a
lot of money, Think of
it as simple supply and demand.
If it's a brain transplant you're
after, well, there aren't many
people who can do the job for
you — at least, not many who
can do It in a way that wouldn't
hurt you really, really badly — so
you have to pay a lot for it.

Sorry. That's what you get for
needing a new brain.

But any moron with a com-
puter, bad posture, and an inflat-
ed sense of self-worth can write
a game review. I mean, really. It's
not like any of us went to some
kind of gaming graduate school
to learn how to do this.

So I accept my embarrassingly
piddling salary without com-
plaint, and I would certainly
never stoop to whining about it
in public even if I was bitter,
which I’m not. The truth is that
the executives here simply would
not be able to take all the golf
trips and Aspen retreats neces-
sary to keep this magazine run-
ning if i started demanding
money so that my child could eat
a healthy dinner for once.

• • • •

In any event, the only reason
I'm discussing my financial mis-
ery is that I just finally paid off
the last of my debt to Features
Editor Denny "Cement Shoes”
Atkin, who sold me his Pentium
233/MMX about six months ago.
But instead of being able to
rejoice at my financial freedom

{and the fact that Denny will
now allow me to keep my
kneecaps). I find myself being
bummed out and frustrated.
Why? Because now that ( own
the darn thing, I'm already
beginning to feel the need to
upgrade it.

Whence sprang these feelings
of inadequacy? From right about

the time that I first tried to play
Unreal, that's whence. Actually, I
guess they first began in junior
high school P.E. class, if you must
know, but that's not a topic for
discussion here. Rest assured
that I have absolutely nothing to
be ashamed of, and I wouldn't
admit it here if i did.

Unreal, along with being the
most beautiful and boring first-
person shooter ever (think of it
as MYST for the testosterone set),
is just the latest example of a
game that "pushes the enve-
lope" so far in terms of technol-
ogy that, while it's a beauty to
behold, it is nearly Impossible to
play unless you're dedicated to
spending all your money on the
latest and greatest hardware.

And UNREAL is just the begin-
ning. As I worked on this
month's Holiday Hot 100 feature,
I kept coming across games with
system requirements that were
just horrendously high, or that
were going to make me buy
more components if I wanted to
enjoy the game to its fullest.

It's ridiculous. I mean, how
does the hard-core gamer with-
out the high-end salary keep up
anymore? How are you sup-
posed to plop down your hard-
earned cash on a machine,
knowing it's going to be obso-
lete in a year? Just how often
are we expected to buy a new
CPU? You know what I think? I
think there are just too many
people in this industry who are

using too much free equipment.
They forget that everyone else
out there has to spend real
money on this stuff.

And it's not just CPUs. It's
speakers, 30 cards (my Voodoo
card now needs to be replaced
with a Voodoo^), game con-
trollers, and more. When I
became CGW's sports editor, I
accepted the fact that I needed
a gamepad. Then I realized i'd
need a joystick, too, for driving
games. Then I needed a force-
feedback joystick. Then i needed
a steering wheel. Now I need a
force-feedback wheel.

Coming up next year, 1 sup-
pose, I'll need a mylar body suit
and brain implants and life-size
replica of a Formula One car

right in my house. Would that
make them happy?

• • • •

Yeah, I know. I don't really
need any of this stuff. And i
know that the trade-off for this
expensive mania is cooler look-
ing games than ever before —
like Need for Speed Hi, a game
so pretty that i would marry it if
it would have me.

But when you step back for a
second and look at all the
money that people are being
asked to invest in the name of
computer entertainment, it just
gets kind of depressing and hor-
rifying and a little bit sick.

I can't stand it anymore. It's
time for a revolution. It's time to
stick it to The Man. Rise up, my

friends. Unplug your Pentiums.
Put those 386s and Mac Piuses
back on your desks — and let's
get some multiplayer Tetris
going. The world's gone mad
and it's time to stop it.

And any of you who are right-
eously disconnecting your force-
feedback wheels out of protest,
send 'em my way. I'll need the
cables and pedals, too. S33

What Jeff doesn't realize is
that the next wave of computer
games will all be backward-
compatible with his Mac Plus,
which now sits in his closet next
to his CB radio and dial tele-
phone. Tell him to quit his belly-
aching and get back to work at
jhgreen@zd.com.

Any moron with a computer, bad posture, and an
inflated sense of self-worth can write a game review.

Computer Gaming ^VorW(ISS^ 0744-6667) is published monthly by ZO Inc. One Patl; Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Subsoiplion rate is S27.97 for a one-year subsctipiioti (12 issues), Canada and all other
countries add S16.00 for surface mail. Postmaster: Send address changes to Computer Gaming World, P.O. Box 57167, Boulder, CO 80328-7167, Canadian GST registration number is 89371 0442 RT. Canada
Post Internatiortal Pub’s Mail Product (Canada Disttlbutionj Sales Agreement No. 1058649. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10016 and additional mailing offices. Printed in the U.S.A.

A COMPUTER GAWING WORLD * DECEMBER 1998

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• internal 56K Capable” Modem

• MS Home Essentials 98 with Money 98

• Upgrade to a 6.4GB Ultra ATA Hard
Drive, add $199.

• Removable Combo 2X DVD-ROM and
3.5" Floppy Disk Drive, add $199.

$2699

Personal Lease”: $101/Mo., 36 Mos.
Order Code #801004

DELL INSPIRON 3200 D233ST
PENTIUM II PROCESSOR AT 233MHz

• 12.1" SVGA Active Matrix TFT Display
- 32MB SDRAM

• 3.2GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

' Stereo Speakers with 3D Surround
Sound and Yamaha Software
Wavetable
' Deluxe Nylon Case
’ MS Home Essentials 98 with
Money 98

r 56K Capable’^ x2 Modem, add $99
r Upgrade to 64MB SDRAM, add $99.
r Upgrade to a 4GB Ultra ATA Hard
Drive, add $49

$1999

Personal Lease”: $75/Mo., 36 Mos.
Order Code #801007

(!w

For faster service, please have your order code anil keycede avail able when calliny.

Pricing not discoiintabla, *PricGs and s|iccifications valid in U.S. only and subi'dct in clinngn witlioul notice 'roi a comiilete copy o(
Giiaramees nr Limited Warranties, vvrito Dell U.SA l P.. Ami: Warranties, One dell Way. Round flock. IX 78682. 'Windows 98
required for USB connectivity. “SCSI contiollet not included .'At-lioiiie service provided pursuant to a service contract be^vee^)
customer and a third panv provider, .nnri is not available in ccriam areas Techriiclaus wtll be drspaiched il necessary lollowing
phone-based Iroutlesliooting with technical support personnel <'PC hi^gsiinebm •'4DX Max/17X Min “2« Ma</10X Mm
; limiied to 53Kbps Upload speeds are loss Im the MKbps range) ard vary by r ' ' - • •

pentiHm''J[

•OowTiload t .

vary depending on line conditions 'Analog phone line and compatible se^■« equipment required ©flaclwanls 'compatible CdIr'oM
products include. CD-ROM, CD-R, CD Audio Intol, the hilol Inside logo and Pentnirn aio registered Iradeniarts and Celeron is a
trademark ol Intel Corporation MS, Microsoft, IntelllMouse and Windows are registerod trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. 3Dom
I a registered trademark of 3Com Corpornlion. HP and DeskJet are registered trademarks of Hewlett Pac^td Corporation Trinitron
■■■ “ " "'ompulerCorporation Alltightstescrved.

Personal leasing arranged by Dell Financial Services L.P.,
an independent entity, to qualilied customers. Amount of
monthly lease payments above based on 36-month lease.
All above monthly lease payments exclude taxes which
may vary; (lor example, Hartford City, IN sales tax
"S6.34/month). Shipping cost due with first payment. No
security deposit required; subject to credit approval and
availability. Lease terms subject to change without notice.

SOFTWARE

DESCRIPTIONS

Day ConnoclDirect Internet Service ♦ 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive ♦ 2 Universal Serial Bus (USB) Ports ♦ McAlee VirusScan

IVOELL DIMENSION XPSR450 DELL DIMENSION XPS R40a /VflV DELL DIMENSION V333c
ITIUM II PROCESSOR AT 450MHz PENTIUM II PROCESSOR AT 400MHz INTEL CELERON PROCESSOR AT333MHz

'8MB 100MHz SDRAM

13,6GB UltraATA Hard Drive
lOOLS 17" (15.9" viewable) Monitor
1 XPERT 98D8MB 3D AGP
aphics Card

)X Max" Variable CD-ROM Drive
rtle Beach Montego A3D Sound Card
]S-295 Speakers with Subwoofer
mega Zip 100MB Internal Drive
S Home Essentials 98 with Money 98
ill Comfort Key Keyboard
S IntelliMouse

ograde to a 16.8GB Ultra ATA
ard Drive, add $149.

2399

onal Lease°: $90/Mo., 36 Mos.
f Code #501005

• 9BMB 100MHz SDRAM

• 1 0GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

• 1000LS 17" (15,9" viewable) Monitor

• STB nVidia ZX 8MB 30 AGP
Graphics Card

• 40X Max - Variable CD-ROM Drive

• Crystal 3D 64VWavDtable Sound

• NEW harman/kardon HK-195 Speakers

• MS Home Essentials 98 with
Money 98

• Dell QuieiKey Keyboard

• MS IntelliMouse

• Iomega Zip lOOMB Internal Drive,
add $99.

$1999

Personal Lease°: S75/Mo., 36 Mos.

Order Code #501006

• 64MB SDRAM

• B.4GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

• 1000LS 17" (15.9" viewable) Monitor

• ATI 8MB 3D AGP Graphics

• 40X Max' Variable CD-ROM Drive

• Yamaha XG 64V Wavetable Sound

• NEW harman/kardon HK-195 Speakers

• MS Home Essentials 98 with Money 98

• Dell Comfort Key Keyboard

• /VfW Logitech First Mouse+(PS/2v)

• Upgrade to ACS-295 Speakers with
Subwoofer, add $40.

$1599

Personal Lease°: $B1/Mo., 36 Mos.
Order Code #501007

Microsoft Office 97 Small Business
Edition v2.0 includes:

• Word 97

• Excel 97

• Publisher 98

• Outlook 98

• Small Business Financial Mgr. 98

• Expedia Streets 98

Microsoft Home
Essentials 98 includes:

• Word 97

• Encarla 98 Encyclopedia

• Money 98

• Works 4,5

• Greetings Workshop 2.0

• Puzzle Collection

ADD-ONS & EXTRAS

RINTER

P DESKJET 722C

PCMaga/ines" Editors' Choice
Up to 8 pages per min, in hlack text
Up to 4 pages per min. in color text
Add a printer cable for $25.

299

CANNER

P SCANJET 6200CSE

Uses HP intelligent scanning technology
USB* and SCSI** connectivity for easy,
flexible installation
1200 dpi enhanced resolution
24-bit (1 6,7 million colors) hardware-calibrated
color and full spectrum grayscale image processing

$399

OWER STRIP

PC SURGESTATION PR08T2

Protects your system against electrical surges
8 outlets with block spacing for 3 outlets
Includes 4-wire, 2-telephone line for protection

$39

A DAY

ACCESS SPECIAL PROMOTIONS
DESIGN YOUR IDEAL COMPUTER
CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR ORDER
ACCESS 24HR. ONLINE TECH SUPPORT

ImagiiiG playing your favorite video games on a Dell*
Dimension" desktop or a Dell Inspiron" notebook. You'll
be amazed at how fast you can sprint through corridors
with a Pentium" II processor. Wipe out mortal enemies
louder with a high-performance 3D sound card. It's a rad
system you can custom configure with high-performance
peripherals - surround sound speakers, impressive DVD
~ you name it. Just call the number below or visit our
home website to rule the universe at an affordable price.

D^L

www.dell.com

TO ORDER TOLL-FREE

877 - 198-3355

[to order O^LINE 24 HRS./DAY

www.dell.com/direct

Mon-Fri 7am-1 1 pm CT • Sat-Sun 8am-8ptn CT
In Canada: call 800-839-0148- In Mexico: call 001-80Q-21Q-7607
GSA Contract #GS-35F-4076D
I Keycode #88409 }

D<»LL

Hopefully you have a strong heart, because the new 1 BMB VRAM graphics card will
take you to a dimension you never even dreamed about. Graphics are faster and more
detailed than on our previous BMB high-end graphics card. 3D graphics games will
be transformed into a hyper-realistic experience. There's no excuse to stare into

$2499

Personal Lease": S94/Mo., 36 Mos.
Order Code #501013

^ DIMENSION ' XPS R450
PENTIUM^ li PROCESSOR AT 450MHz

• 128MB lOOMHz SDRAM

• 512KB Integrated L2 Cache

• 10GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive

• 1200HS 19" (17.9" viewable, .26dp)
Monitor

• NEW^mB STB nVidia TNT 3D
AGP Graphics Card

• 40X Max'" Variable CD-ROM Drive

• Turtle Beach Montego A30 Sound Card

• A/f(Vharnian/kardon HK-195 Speakers

• 3Com'' USR V.90'^ PCI WinModem

• 30-Day ConnectDirect
Internet Service

• MS" Home Essentials 98 with
Money 98; McAfee VirusScan

• MS Windows'"' 98/lntelliMouse'

• Dell QuietKey’ Keyboard

• 3-Year Limited Warranty'

• 1 -Year At-home' Service

dullsville again, especially for such a great price. Call or visit us at our home store
at www.dell.com/direct. We recommend laying off the caffeine tor a while.

www.dell.com

TO ORDER TOLL-FREE

877 - 298-3355

For faster service, please have your order code and keycode available when calling.

'"Personal leasing arranged by Dell Financial Services LP., an independent entity, to qualified
customers; amount of monthly lease payments above based on 36-montl) lease. All above
monthly lease payments exclude taxes which may vary (for example, Hartford City, IN sales
tax S4.69/month); shipping cost due with first payment; no security deposit required: subject to
credit approval and availability. Lease terms subject to change without notice.

pentium*J[

I TO ORDE R ONLINE 24 HRS./DAY

www.dell.com/direct

Mon-Fri 7am-11pm CT • Sat-Sun 8am-8pm CT
In Canada/call 8Q0-839-0148
In Mexico,* call 001-800-210-7607
[KByrnde <88407]

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